Racial integration refers to breaking the already permeable ethnic boundaries that exist in as society such as race, to enable a better coexistence in the world as a whole.
To understand inter-ethnic partnering in Australia, a study on the historical patterns on intermarriages is of utmost importance. Information about birthplace as well as ancestry reveals an imbalance of gender in intermarriage sequence among groups that have existed longer from Anglo-Celtic nations. The data also shows a high number of homogenous intermarriages among later arrivals from some subcontinents such as the Indian and Middle East.
While it might be impossible to deduce whether intermarriage patterns among those who were first to migrate to Australia were caused by ethnic preferences, individuals from later generations are likely to intermarry. This has been the case across all ethnic groups in Australia.
An in-depth understanding of the multicultural practices in ancient Australia will reveal a sequence towards a more usual and acceptable inter-ethnic partnering. Although it may be too early to establish how high the rate of inter-ethnic partnering for latter generations of the migrants who arrived recently, data harvested from the Australian Bureau of statistics show that inter-ethnic partnering is not unique by the third generation.
Currently, Australia is comprised of a mixed society of mixed heritage, religion or races. and the there is no guarantee whatsoever that Australianscan marry person with whom they share identical cultural or ancestry backgrounds. However, for some Australians the priority when choosing a suitable partner is maintaining an acceptable cultural sense of belonging and as such, they choose a partner with whom they share a similar cultural identity.
Inter-ethnic partnering in Australia has been majorly fueled by the global technological advancements. This has made the inception of interracial dating sites possible. People are now incorporating both technological and native techniques in the quest of searching for a partner. These dating sites provide an array of potential matches to choose from basedon the user’s personal interests. One can choose a person from the same or different ethnic, cultural, geographical or religious beliefs.
A survey done by The Australian National University has revealed that most people who meet on these matchmaking sites have some prior familiarity. They have either been to the same schools before, or they have some mutual friends. However, these dating sites have faced a fair amount of backlash, some claiming that they spark rot in the community. This has caused an increase in stigma associated with meeting potential partners through online interracial dating apps.
Most Australians looking for a significant other prefer to resort to online matchmaking apps because they offer a broadspectrum of groups across Australia such as Aboriginal, Indian, Muslim, Greek, and Korean. It has also been recently discovered that a significant number of people, more than 3000, listed ethnic background as an important consideration when looking for a partner.
The truth is that Inter-Ethnic partnering across Australia is steadily evolving and the society is becoming more versatile and habitable when ethnic boundaries are shattered.