Parental acceptance of children's intimate ethnic outgroup relations: The role of culture, status, and family reputation

Research on adolescents’ interethnic relations indicates that parents can resist their children's ethnic outgroup relations. However, there is little insight into the underlying reasons for this. The current study examines how cultural groups differ in parental acceptance of their children's outgroup relations, and it examines the role of perceived family reputation vulnerability as well as parents’ religiosity. In addition, it was investigated whether parental acceptance of outgroup relations differs for different outgroups. This was studied among Turkish (n = 49) and Dutch (n = 73) parents of first grade middle school students. Parental acceptance of intimate ethnic outgroup relations was lower among Turkish–Dutch than among Dutch parents. This difference was explained by group differences in perceived family reputation vulnerability and religiosity. It is concluded that concerns about culture transmission and family reputation are related to parental acceptance of outgroup contact, which explains differences in parental acceptance between cultural groups. In addition, status considerations seem to explain differences in parental acceptance of their children's close contacts with different outgroups.

► This study examined how cultural groups differ in parental acceptance of their children's intimate ethnic outgroup relations.
► Parental acceptance of outgroup relations differed between cultural groups and between different outgroups.
► Turkish–Dutch parents perceived their children's behavior to affect family reputation more than Dutch parents did.
► Perceived family reputation vulnerability and religiosity explained group differences in parental acceptance.
► Status considerations seem to explain differences in parental acceptance of intimate relations with different outgroups.