Mixed marriages have taken place since the beginning of time. As people explored and traveled, men would fall in love with local women and either stay or take the women back home with them. Marriages of mixed religions, races or cultures have traditionally met with resistance by either party's family or friends, or by society in general. However, the term also defines the union of two people from different religious faiths or different nationalities.
Couples who choose to enter into a mixed marriage are not immune from problems anywhere. Although some places, such as large cities in the United States, are generally more accepting, smaller towns and other countries may not be so accepting. Fortunately, tolerance and acceptance is becoming more common as laws change and the percentage of mixed marriages rises every year.
Other countries have laws that make life nearly impossible for those who marry someone from another country. For example, Indonesia only recognizes the rights of citizens. If an Indonesian woman marries someone of another nationality, their children are considered citizens of the other country, even if the family lives in Indonesia. Upon the death of the husband, the woman will have to pay fees to sponsor her children, or they will be deported to their father's country of origin. If the woman were to die in that same scenario, her husband and children would be left homeless, as they would have no rights to any property in her name. They would also be deported without a sponsor.
The problems of mixed marriages include resistance from family, friends and society, as well as individual ideas and expectations within the relationship. Family