MARISOL CLARK-IBA ´ N ˜ EZ California State University—San Marcos DIANE FELMLEE University of California—Davis* Interethnic Relationships: The Role of Social Network Diversity We examine the degree to which ethnic diversity in social networks relates to the frequency of interethnic romantic relationships for 318 college students. In a multinomial logit, we find that the odds of having an interethnic relationship once or twice, versus never, increase significantly if the respondent has a relatively ethnically diverse friendship network, is male, and supports inter- ethnic dating. The odds of having an interethnic relationship often, versus once or twice, are sig- nificantly higher for persons of color and when the friends of the respondent’s parents are rela- tively diverse ethnically. Findings from open- ended data also provide support for a social network perspective, and point to the processes by which networks, gender, and ethnicity shape interethnic courtship. It was not until 1967 that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled as unconstitutional the last of the state antimiscegenation laws, which banned marriage across various types of racial or ethnic groups. Twenty-three years later, a fundamental- ist private college, Bob Jones University, had a policy banning interracial dating until national legislative pressure led to its repeal in 2000. Having an intimate relationship across ethnic or racial boundaries remains a substantial social norm violation for many today because it chal- lenges the general societal norm of endogamy (to marry or date within one’s specific group as required by custom or law). Interethnic relation- ships are significant because they may act as a catalyst for societal change. According to Elijah Anderson, interethnic dating in secondary schools aids in the process of deracialization (Peterson, 1997), yet we know relatively little about the social processes that underlie this important interpersonal phenomenon. What are the factors that lead individual actors to break larger norms of endogamy and engage in an interethnic relationship? We argue that one key, and often neglected, factor associated with intimate relationships between ethnic groups is the social network. We maintain that those whose social network contacts are relatively varied ethnically are more apt to engage in an interethnic romantic relationship. Those with ethnically diverse net- works have expanded opportunities to find a partner from a different ethnic or racial back- ground, and they are also likely to gain more support from their social networks for dating across ethnic boundaries. Several other factors are likely to influence individuals’ propensity to date outside their own ethnicities, including gender, ethnicity, educa- tional level, socioeconomic status, and personal attitudes. Past research, for example, found that men and persons of color had relatively high rates Department of Sociology, California State University—San Marcos, San Marcos, CA 92096 (mibanez@csusm.edu). *University of California—Davis, Department of Sociology, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616. Key Words: courtship, ethnicity, interethnic dating, interracial relationships, race, social network. Journal of Marriage and Family 66 (May 2004): 293–305 293