Implications of Status Exchange in Intermarriage for Hawaiians and Their Sovereignty Movement

Abstract

Intermarriage, which is common in Hawai'i, has had a profound effect on Hawaiians. Ethnic Hawaiians have comparatively low socioeconomic status compared with other groups in Hawai'i, and status exchange in intergroup marriages often prompts high-status Hawaiians to marry out. This article examines marriage certificate data in the state of Hawai'i from 1983 to 1994 and focuses on status-based selective outmarriage of Hawaiians. Evidence suggests that Hawaiians with higher status are significantly more likely to marry into high-status groups while those who marry endogamously tend to have low status. Along with continued interethnic marriage, the process of status exchange is expected to have a negative impact on the social well-being of future generations of Hawaiians and on the Hawaiian sovereignty movement.