On Black/White Intermarriage Patterns

The past century has witnessed limited and an acute sexual difference in black/white intermarriages. For example, in 2000, 9.63 percent of black males' marriages involve white spouses while it was 3.84 percent for black females. In this paper, I formulate and estimate a decision model of interracial partnership selection and provide quantitative explanations for the black/white intermarriage pattern. The model permits comparison of four competing explanations: (i) the mating taboo, (ii) segregation, (iii) courtship opportunities, and (iv) sexual difference in variation of endowments. The model is a two-sided search model. Because these sources affect the marriage outcomes differently, empirical identification of these potential sources is possible. I demonstrate identification of the structural parameters of the model using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth