The Sex Gap in Outmarriage: Gender Attitude Homophily as a Determinant of Exogamy.

Homophily theory argues that in situations of choice people tend to associate with people who are similar to them. Yet, the decidedly non-homophilous fact of heterosexual marriage may lead to non-homophilous pairings on race. Thus, a within-group mismatch of gender attitudes and an across-group matching of gender attitudes leads individuals to seek partners across racial lines. Analysis of survey data confirms this hypothesis for interracial marriages in the U.S. involving Blacks, Whites, Latinos, and Asians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]