Unexpected Struggles that Comes With Interracial Marriage

Interracial marriage is the marriage between spouses who are different races from one another. Although it can be an amazing journey of love, it can also come with many challenges that most wouldn’t expect. An article from the Spruce written by Sheri Stritof called, “The Challenges of an Interracial Marriage,” they talk about the challenges that come with marrying somebody from another race than your own. Problems from family, friends, and even strangers can be an everyday struggle. Also the problems that a couple may even face coming from two different races. In this brief essay I will touch on the challenges that interracial couples face in their everyday lives and ways to prevent/help them.

Being in an interracial relationship can be challenging at times having to deal with the idea of discrimination and bias on an everyday basis. In a perfect world we would want there to be none of those kinds of problems, but in reality that just won’t happen. Rather than dwell on the problems that may arise we can try to fix them instead. On top of problems that you may face as a couple in your own home, you may experience challenges outside the house too. Negative stereotypes, intimidation, sense of isolation, derogatory comments in public, and stares are all things that may come with an interracial relationship. According to Sheri Stritof, “This can make you feel hurt, sad and helpless. If you want to make sure that these possible challenges don't hurt your marriage, talk about them openly with one another! Your partner is probably the best person to offer you solace from these external stressors.” The best way for your relationship to stay healthy is to face all of the problems that arise together and be able to lean on one another if they need it.

Along with challenges from outside your own home, challenges may arise within your relationship also. People say that love can overcome anything no matter what the challenge, but that is not the case. Problems are going to arise no matter what, even in non interracial marriages too. According to Stritof, “Every married couple needs to develop and use effective communication skills so that difficult times can be handled in healthy ways.” Raising your children can be difficult when trying to explain to your kids what their exact identity is. So the best way to communicate with you children is to discuss what both you think is the best answer to give them. When holidays roll around it can be hard to mix two different cultures together to try to make both spouse happy. Stritof suggests that you “Be proud of your cultural traditions and work together to create ways to celebrate them that will be meaningful to you both.” The differences that may come up in your interracial marriage are not the end of the world but it does require effort to make it work. The best way to achieve a happy and healthy relationship is to discuss your differences regarding every topic and decide which one is the best.