Greedy for who? Interracial marriage and co-ethnic friendship groups

How do race and marriage alter friendship networks? Past research and theory suggest that marriage changes friendship networks. We consider whether interracial relationships could alter the ethnic composition of friendships as friendship networks change. Using the Canadian Ethnic Diversity Survey, we examine the relationship between interracial marriage and co-ethnic friendship. We find that individuals in interracial marriages are less likely to report having co-ethnic friendship groups when compared with other marriages. Looking more closely at race, we find that the decrease is primarily driven by changes among racialised spouses. Racialised spouses in interracial marriages are considerably less likely to report co-ethnic friendships than racialised spouses in intraracial marriages. For White spouses, in contrast, there is little difference. Racialised spouses in interracial marriages are also less likely to report co-ethnic friendship groups than White spouses in interracial marriages. We consider these findings in the context of power imbalances in interracial marriages.