Date of Award

1-1-2011

Language

English

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College/School/Department

Department of Sociology

Content Description

1 online resource (xi, 301 pages) : illustrations.

Dissertation/Thesis Chair

Christine E Bose

Committee Members

Hayward D Horton, Angie Y Chung

Keywords

Gender, Integration, Intermarriage, Intersectionality, Puerto Ricans, Race, Puerto Rican families, Interethnic marriage, Interracial marriage, Racially mixed children

Subject Categories

Sociology

Abstract

Puerto Ricans have an intermarriage rate of 38.5 percent, the highest among Mexican, Cubans, Dominicans, European Americans, and African Americans in the United States. What govern the process of Puerto Rican intermarriage? Who do Puerto Rican intermarry with? And, do these intermarriages affect Puerto Rican ethnic identity? Traditional theories of intermarriage use a one dimensional explanation for intermarriages and for many posit an eventual ethnic identity transition. I propose the use of an intersectionality paradigm that incorporates a multidimensional approach, specifically race, gender, class, and space to explain Puerto Rican intermarriage and to test Puerto Rican ethnic identity transformation through the process of intermarriage by measuring the ethnic identity options of the natural children of Puerto Ricans in mixed relationships. I analyze this multidimensional approach by creating one dataset of Puerto Ricans and their spouses and a second dataset of the children of intermarried Puerto Ricans using the 2000 5% Integrated Public Use Microdata Sample. Race, gender, class and space all contribute to our understanding of Puerto Rican intermarriage. However, the results confirm the appropriateness of using race, gender, class and space through a multidimensional paradigm to explain Puerto Rican intermarriage and in addition, the analysis indicates that Puerto Rican ethnic identity is maintained for the children of Puerto Rican intermarried couples.

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