Changing Patterns of Marriage and Mating Within Australia

Abstract

SynopsisChanging patterns of marriage, marriage choice and mating within different ethnic groups in Australia were examined. The following hypotheses were tested and supported using readily available published marriage statistics for British, Dutch, German, Italian, Greek and Yugoslav born individuals: Biologically oriented accounts of human mating underestimate the level of assortative mating (i.e. within ethnic groups); the likelihood of assortative mating varies among social groups and changes over time within and between such groups; there are differences in the extent of choice exercised by males and females acquiring marriage partners; the opportunities for choice are increasing for both sexes.Among the specific findings is that exogamous marriages among Greek and Italian born Australians more than doubled between the years 1960-75 but remained much lower than those for British, German and Dutch born. Between 1951-55 the incidence of exogamous marriages was higher among men than among women in all m...