Do Jewish men really only want to marry Jewish women?

If you’ve ever fancied a Jewish guy but thought religion made him off-limits, think again. A study of Jewish men’s marriage patterns point to something else entirely.

It was found out that the younger they are, the more likely that they’ll marry non-Jews. Of those aged 55 and older, 24 percent are intermarried. For those between 35 and 54, the number sharply increases to 37 percent. As for the youngest segment which is under 35 years of age, intermarriage is at 47 percent, or roughly one in every two young Jewish men currently married to non-Jewish women.

Jewish women’s marriage patterns vary slightly. It still shows a higher tendency of younger women to marry non-Jews compared to the older generation, but they are a little more conservative than the men. Among those who are 55 and older, 16 percent have intermarried. While for those who are between 35 and 54, the figure rises to 37 percent. This number plateaus at this point and remains the same for younger Jewish women less than 35 years of age.

The difference between intermarriage rates of Jewish men and women have varied reasons. It may be because Jewish men are more aggressive and tend to branch out in terms of friends and other affiliations. Also, since the men are traditionally the ones who work, they have more interaction with people outside the Jewish community than their female counterparts.

One of the reasons cited why people intermarry is that they want to learn and experience new things. Having a partner that comes from a different background will make them more tolerant and develop a multi-cultural view which is encouraged in American society. Their children will be able to grow having the best of both worlds and choose what they’re more comfortable with when they’re older.

Of course there are those who are not that attached to their Jewish roots, so intermarriage not so much a statement as it is nonchalance on their part. While for others, they are devout to their faith but see nothing wrong in marrying a non-Jew. For most people, marriage is a matter of being together with the person the love and nothing else.

Now, more than ever, people are empowered to make their own choices. The marriage preferences of American Jewish men are influenced by living in an open society. The most important question is not always that of religion, but of the sincerity of both people to commit themselves into the relationship.