Why is that most people marry within their own race?

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Why is that most people prefer to marry within their own race? Is it because of biological reasons or religious indoctrination?

Many white men say that they do not find most black African women attractive except a few famous ones that they see on American TV. I wonder why that is.

Last edited by LikeGreenAndBlue on 06 Jan 2011, 4:36 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Let the countdown to someone eventually saying "I'm not racist, but..." begin.

Familiarity. A male grows up looking for qualities he found attractive in his mother and a female grows up looking for qualities she found attractive in her father. As our parents are our role models for future mates it is not unexpected that we look for people who match our parent's race.

I have never been married, but would have no problem marrying outside of my race.

Both of my previous relationships were interracial (my first gf was Mexican and my second gf was Korean).

It could be due to (sub-)cultural familiarity. IOW, the person knows the rules and how to fit in more easily than elsewhere. Also, if someone's socializing is mostly within the same sub-culture (probably for the same reason of familiarity) they'd have a greater chance of ending up with someone who is also from that sub-culture.

Last edited by Apple_in_my_Eye on 06 Jan 2011, 4:50 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Chances are slim that I will marry within my race, but for different reasons. I plan to marry within my field of study. I'm ok with it because that's what I find more attractive.

Most people (where I live) are white, so statistically I'm more likely to like a white girl. I do tend to prefer white girls though. Dunno why. I like pale skin. Most of the women I like are white. I would have no problem with it though if I ended up with a non-white woman.

Definitely not religious indoctrination with me though - my parents aren't religious and I am 100% atheist

I'm only guessing, but this phenomena is definitely real and maybe has something to do with evolutionary psychology.

I live in a very racially diverse area and I remember walking into a local community college cafeteria and noticing that most of the tables were populated by the same race: Europeans with Europeans, Asians with Asians, Hispanics with Hispanics, etc. It was definitely not a random mix.

There was no tangible hostility between races, people got along just fine, but it seemed like most people just naturally hung out with their own ethnic group.

I think in general it's just an interesting social phenomena, no big deal really...

Hmm... the Oedipus complex isn't my cup of tea, personally.

The famous ones you tend to see on TV, tend to look almost European but with black skin, Blacks themselves are somewhat racist in this regard, when you see thier fashion magazines, they promote the most attractive look, as that which is closest to white.

Its ceratinly not religious, though it might be biological, God made seperate races, maybe he likes to keep that variety?

Myself, I find some black Asian women as attractive as white women.
African woman though I find too dominant, masculine, loud and aggresive, this feature makes Black men more attractive to white woman, as obviously women are attracted to masculinity, most men however find femininity more attactive.

I didn't say anything about wanting to have sex with your mother. I said that your mother is your role model for adult females as a child.

it may be demographics, if you live somewhere where the majority of the population is white, maybe you're more likely to end up with a white person.
It may also be that people (probably NTs more often than aspies) want to avoid stigma. And unfortunatly there is still stigma attached to marrying outside your own race. I know that if i would bring home a non-white guy, several people in my family would cut all ties with me. Not that i care.

I've wondered why too, but I dunno. I've found that I myself am attracted to men of all races, but I'm physically "pickier" with races outside of my own.

It's cultural differences. Some so subtle you don't even notice them until you date someone of another race. The road to marriage is such a long one, any tiny bumps can knock you off course.

I for one, find black women quite attractive. They've got some amazing curves.

I don't think social behavior directly translates to romantic behavior. Besides, there are studies that show the subconscious looks for genetically dissimilar people for potential mates.

Its because the first step to making contact is establishing common ground. Right off the bat, something in common. The ice is all but broken, much in the same way as similar fashion and music (meeting someone at a concert) and starting off is simpler.