SOCIAL-CONTEXTUAL INFLUENCES ON ADOLESCENT ROMANTIC INVOLVEMENT: THE CONSTRAINTS OF BEING A NUMERICAL MINORITY

Abstract

This research explores white–black differences in adolescent heterosexual romantic involvement and how these differences are shaped by social context. We find that, parallel to patterns of marriage in adulthood, non-Hispanic white girls are more likely to be in a romantic relationship than African American girls. This is particularly true when we focus on heterosexual romantic relationships formed with schoolmates. Among boys, African Americans are more likely to be romantically involved than non-Hispanic whites. We investigate the contribution of two broad types of social-demographic factors to these race-ethnic differences, population composition and normative climate. We develop theory about why being a numerical minority should lead to lower levels of relationship formation, especially when interracial relationships are rare. Results support the population composition hypotheses, but not the idea that race-ethnic differences arise because of differences in normative climate.

Acknowledgments

This research was partly supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development under grant R03HD047331 (Kelly Raley PI) to the Population Research Center, University of Texas at Austin. Opinions reflect those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the granting agency. This research uses data from Add Health, a program project designed by J. Richard Udry, Peter S. Bearman, and Kathleen Mullan Harris, and funded by a grant P01–HD31921 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, with cooperative funding from 17 other agencies. Special acknowledgment is owed to Ronald R. Rindfuss and Barbara Entwisle for assistance in the original design. Persons interested in obtaining data files from Add Health should contact Add Health, Carolina Population Center, 123 W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill, NC 27516–2524, USA. E-mail: [email protected]

Notes

†p < .10; *p < .05; **p < .01.

†p < .10; *p < .05; **p < .01.