How Online Dating Sites Influenced the Rise of Intermarriage

Much has been said about online dating ever since the first few dating sites emerged back in 1995. Encouraging tales and testimonies of how it broadens one’s dating possibilities are the usual anecdotes you’ll hear from those who have successfully found love through it.

But today, experts are saying that online dating sites are doing so much more than just making the quest for love convenient. They may be playing a vital role for a cause far bigger than love and romance.

There are those, however, that are still on the fence about the concept of finding a romantic partner online. Unsettling stories of scams, identity theft, and false fronts are the usual pitfalls and drawbacks skeptics forewarn.

Online dating is also often blamed for the prevalence of the hook-up culture and the seeming deterioration of the current dating norms.

While it has had its fair share of bad reputation, it’s pretty hard to refute online dating’s contribution in terms of connecting people from different parts of the world, especially those who are looking for a lifelong mate.

In fact, according to a study in 2017, 39 percent of heterosexuals and 60 percent of same-sex couples in the U.S. met through different platforms across the web. That puts online dating at the top of the list in terms of the most common ways couples in America meet.

A different study, however, with somewhat similar findings, suggests that the impact of online dating sites to society goes beyond being just a mere avenue for people from faraway places to meet. Based on their hypothesis, online dating may have been a major driving force behind the rise of interethnic and interracial marriages in the U.S.

The Rise of Intermarriage

Data shows that ever since marriage across racial lines was formally legalized in the U.S. in 1967, interracial marriages have seen a steady growth.

According to the United States Census Bureau, between the years 2000 and 2015 - a period where online dating sites were increasingly becoming more popular - the total number of married couples where one partner is from a different racial and ethnic background increased to 10.2 percent.

Those figures translate to 11 million people in total. That’s a far cry from the 3 percent in 1967. And in that year alone, the percentage of intermarried newlyweds in the U.S. was at 17.24 percent.

Although the steady increase of interracial married couples cannot solely and directly be attributed to online dating sites, authors of a 2018 study that looked into the impact of dating sites on the racial diversity of society think that there could be a correlation between the two.

“It is intriguing that shortly after the introduction of the first dating websites in 1995, like Match.com, the percentage of new marriages created by interracial couples increased rapidly,” Ortega and Hergovich, authors of ”The Strength of Absent Ties: Social Integration via Online Dating” said.

They added that a sudden jump in the number of interracial marriages in 2014 occurred shortly after popular dating apps like Tinder took the dating scene by storm. This further solidifies their theory that online dating sites may have played a role in what appears to be a perpetual increase in the number of interracial couples.

It’s also worth noting that contrary to popular notion, marriages that started online are just as likely to last as those that started through more conventional means. At least two studies (Cacioppo et al., 2013 and Rosenfeld, 2017) with closely similar findings align with this hypothesis.

In fact, married couples who started out dating online reported higher marital satisfaction and were less likely to break up than those who met offline.

How People Feel About It

While our society, as it stands, is still far from ideal, it’s safe to say that we’ve made significant strides towards a more inclusive world. This generation is slowly but steadily breaking several societal divides.

Today, not only is the American society more accepting and open to the concept of online dating, but an increasing number of people are also becoming more open to the idea of interracial relationships.

According to the Pew Research Center, nearly four out of ten American adults think that interracial marriages are good for society. That figure increased by 15 percentage points from that of the year 2010 where only 24 percent felt the same way.

The same research also suggests that the percentage of Americans who are opposed to having a relative or friend marry someone of a different race or ethnicity is down to only 10 percent compared to 31 percent from 2000.

Indeed, online dating sites have made an impact on our perception and attitude towards marriage and dating in general. Before, it was difficult and, in some cases, even prohibited to mingle much less marry someone from a different race or ethnicity. Today, interracial couples aren’t just accepted, they are even celebrated.

Online Dating Sites: A Catalyst for Change

It may be premature and quite audacious to say that online dating sites have influenced and driven the rate of interracial marriages to increase substantially, but several studies are certainly pointing towards that probability.

It totally makes sense, especially considering that the online dating industry gives people of different races and ethnicities an avenue to interact, meet, and fall in love.

It couldn’t possibly be just mere coincidence that right about the same time when online dating sites have been changing several dating trends and cultures, the number of interracial marriages in the U.S. has also increased.

But we also need to acknowledge other factors that could’ve played a role in this trend. For one, there has been a steady increase in the number of foreign-born people in the U.S. since 1980.

The United States Census Bureau even hypothesized that such a change in the population may have partially driven the rise of interracial marriages. However, Ortega and Hergovich mention in their study, as cited above, that it’s still not enough to explain the rate by which interracial marriages have increased.

This only means that online dating sites are the main drivers of this growth. And as a growing number of people believe, we too think that this brings about positive change in society.

Not only is it promoting love, romance, and relationships, but it’s also contributing to racial diversity.

Say what you will about online dating sites, but despite their drawbacks and potential pitfalls, this is certainly an industry that has changed and is continually changing the world for the better.