The Effect of Increases in the Biracial Population on Society - Essay Example

The Effect of Increases in the Biracial Population on Society Introduction The percentage of biracial individuals is growing withevery passing day. This seems to be the result of interracial marriages that take place in America and different parts of world. There are several concerns regarding the interracial marriages, as there may be certain cultural, psychological and sociological issues that the couple has to address through their life. The foundation of such families can be difficult to establish at times, as the background of both partners is different from cultural perspective. The role of psychiatrists and mental health professionals also becomes prominent, as the biracial individuals may seek help from them for adjusting to changes and promoting their own separate identities. Discussion It can be difficult for the biracial individuals to fit into the society norms, however with a little assistance from the mental health professional and psychiatrists they may become socially active. It is the job of the psychiatrists to help the biracial individuals in identity formation. They must be proud of the fact that they have been gifted with a rich cultural heritage. The parents may also support their biracial children to fit into the society by sending them to integrated schools, where they are allowed to meet children from different backgrounds. The biracial individuals who find it difficult to fit into the society may take help from different support group, where they will get the opportunity to meet their role models who have the similar life stories as theirs. Both the male as well as the female biracial individuals are affected to the same extent due to their different racial identity. The biracial individuals may be confused about their identity in the early stage of their lives. Interracial marriages often have high divorce rates and it is then that the male and female children equally suffer from the stress of their parent’s divorce. The male as well as the female biracial individuals at some point of time also have to deal with the stress that comes along as the result of dual ethnic identity or that from some sort of ambiguous conflicts of ethnicity. The family structure of interracial marriages is often weak, which is the result of their diverse cultural background. As the percentage of one black and one white parent continue to increase, the issues and concerns related to interracial marriage are also increasing. The society also affects the family structure of such biracial families by expressing their disapproval towards the union of two people belonging to different backgrounds. However the strength of a family structure of interracial marriage is dependent on the way the family members handle their dual cultural heritage. It is important for the biracial individuals to be at peace with their identity and form the basis of a firm family foundation on the basis of cultural grounds. The multiracial lobby present in different countries has been demanding governments to allow the biracial citizens the right of self-identification. The public policies in the developed countries are now being made keeping in mind the rights of the biracial children. As the percentage of biracial individual is increasing it is being impossible for the government to ignore their rights, although there are many individuals belonging to the biracial group that argue about not having the same rights as the majority of the citizens, which truly cannot be ignored. The government will need some time to establish a system that will provide the same equal rights to the biracial individuals as the other majority population. Negotiating with the biracial identity in the outside world not only help the individual to address different social and cultural experiences but also helps in the development of their separate identity. Negotiating with the biracial identity on social basis can be challenging as well as a rewarding experience for both the mono-racial parents as well as for their biracial adults. Friends and supports groups play a significant role in the lives of biracial individual, as it turns out to be their outside family with whom they connect socially. The location of the biracial children and their family, including their school and community may also be an important role, while they try to negotiate their biracial identity as it socially opens the individual to different social opportunities that they would not have gained otherwise (Driscoll). The fact that biracial people suffer the most because of their confused identity is not debatable at all. Racism often hits these individuals from both sides of their cultural backgrounds. A biracial individual often finds it difficult to adjust with their black peers, as they consider them white and question their customs and habits that are very much similar to white people and vice versa. In an interview on racism with a biracial individual, a boy shared his middle school experience. He said that he was the only biracial child in the class of white children. A girl once told her that when she first saw him, she got scared because she thought he was black and he would take out a gun and kill him. Biracial individuals even today are exposed to racism on daily basis, be it coming from their colleagues, friends or relatives (Mixed Emotions: Being Biracial and Racism). There is no doubt about the fact that the trend of interracial marriages is on a rise in America. This is the result of change in the attitude of people towards interracial marriages. A survey conducted suggested that about 96 percent of the black people agree to interracial marriages, while in comparison to this 84 percent white people agreed. The percentage of white people agreeing upon interracial marriage may be lower than black people but it is quite high on general basis. The reason behind the increasing number of supporter of interracial marriage is because the young Americans grow in an environment where they are exposed to number multicultural images from television, sports, music, etc. which to a great extent has contributed towards removing the barrier from interracial marriage. With the increasing population of biracial individual, it is certain that the racial and cultural attitude of people will change. America is a country that has always welcomed people from different cultural background, giving them opportunities to develop and grow in this prosperous environment. The growing number of biracial population itself indicates that people have started accepting the interracial marriages. As the society is becoming more advanced, the orthodox opinion and views of people towards issues like racism and interracial marriages are also changing; therefore it can be concluded that the growing biracial population will positively contribute towards changing the opinion of society over this issue. Conclusion It is evident from the growing number of biracial population and interracial marriage that the society has finally accepted the truth and has shattered the delusion of concepts like racism and color. This is because the countries are trying to foster societies that will help in developing multicultural environment. The governments of the developed countries are also working towards providing equal rights to the biracial citizens and taking actions against the acts of racism performed against them. There are many organization and NGOs that are also working towards providing rights to the multiracial or biracial citizens, so that they may be able to live freely without facing any stress or psychological pressure from the people around them. References Driscoll, A. Interracial Marriages and Biracial Children. 2010. http://www.education.com/reference/article/interracial-marriages-biracial-children/. 2 December 2014. Mixed Emotions: Being Biracial and Racism. 2013. http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1019065. 2 December 2014. Read More