American Children in Multiracial Households

Abstract

This study provides a demographic portrait of multiracial households, using children as the units of analysis. The authors conceptualize three dimensions for understanding multiracialness: (1) the racial composition of a household overall, (2) where in the household a racial difference exists relative to the household head, and (3) where in the household a racial difference exists relative to each child. Using microdata from the 1980 U.S. census, the authors explore the first two of these dimensions and test two propositions about the links between racial diversity and other nonracial attributes of children's household environments. The finding is made, among other things, that the largest proportion of children live in Asian-white households, and that about 60% live in households headed by mixed-race couples. Support for the notion that attributes of multiracial households fall between those of their same-race counterparts was mixed. Nonetheless, there appears to be a link between location of diversity and some nonracial characteristics of the household.