Interracial marriages common in military.

• Position: Armed Forces

Interracial marriages are more likely to occur within the military than outside it. Moreover, these unions nearly have doubled over the last 20 years. Contributing factors include diverse national recruitment, international exposure, and education.

"Immigration and group size are two of multiple factors that predict who will enter into intergroup marriage," indicates Cardell Jacobson, professor of sociology at Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah. "In general, we found that more United States military than nonmilitary men and women marry people of different ethnicities and races."

The services create an opportunity for interaction among groups in foreign countries and members of various racial and ethnic backgrounds. This situation enables those serving to socialize with and date individuals who live near the base and others who live in the country where troops are stationed. The frequent interaction outside of their own circle allows servicemen and women to be more accepting and nondiscriminatory, as learning about a variety of cultures creates greater understanding and decreases discrimination.

Jacobson's research further demonstrated:

* African-Americans and Caucasians are more likely than...