Biracially Raised Children Essay -- Research Papers Ethnicity Race Pap

Biracially Raised Children According to 2000 U.S. census, 2.4 % of the US population which report themselves as people who have two or more races. (United States). The number of interracial couples has reached to 1.6 million, which account for almost 4 % of U.S. marriages. ( Fletcher, par. 3 ). In a melting pot country like the United States, where immigration and emigration rates are high, inter-cultural marriage has become an inevitable by- product of mobility. Interracial marriage refers to a marriage which consists of couples with two different racial backgrounds. For example, a Chinese women married to an American. While the intermarried couples have to adapt their racial differences, their cultural background would assert a significant influence on the development of their offspring. In addition, society has also held different views on them. Children raised in a interracial family are often believed to encounter problems like a feelings of alienation, a sense of low-esteem, loss of self- identity, cultu re and tradition, which may cause personality disorders and affect the child’s social behaviors. However, there are also positive assumptions about biracial children like better language ability and higher adaptability to the society. In my research paper, I will look into how intermarriage influences the development of a child and evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of a child raised in a family with different racial backgrounds. Identity is a fundamental question that intrudes in biracial children’s minds. Since a biracial child usually inherits some traits from the maternal side and some from the paternal side, a biracial child is an amalgam of both races. Therefore, a seemingly simple question, â€Å"Who are you... ...nded Academic ASAP. Middlebury College Library, 1 Nov. 2004, Romano, Dugan. Intercultural Marriage : Promises & Pitfall. 2nd ed. Yarmouth, ME : Intercultural Press,1997. Root, Maria P. P. Love's Revolution : Interracial Marriage. Philadelphia, PA: Temple UP, 2001 Rose, Caroline. â€Å"Potential Role Conflicts in Black-White Marriages.† Interracial marriage: Expectation and Realities. Ed. Stuart, Edwin. New York: Grossman Publishers, 1973. Rosenblatt, Terris Karis, and Richard Powell. Multiracial Couples : Black & White Voices. London, UK: Sage Publications, 1995. Sung, Betty Lee. Chinese American Intermarriage. New York: Center for Migration Studies, 1990. United States, Bereau of the Census, â€Å"Source U.S. Census Bureau: State and County QuickFacts. Data derived from Population Estimates, 2000 Census of Population and Housing.†, 9 July 2004, 5 Nov.,2004,