34° ORIGINS AND INTERMARRIAGE IN THI REGISTRATION AREA 
she matter of intermarriage. It is not a coincidence that those who segregate most, fail 
‘urthest short .of expectation in intermarriage. 
Data are available in the census which could be used to throw considerable light on 
the relation between origin, religion and intermarriage, but the purpose in this chapter is 
not primarily to examine the various characteristics which are favourable and unfavourable 
to assimilation. Important as are these considerations, such detailed analysis is beyond 
the scope of this report. Attention, however, has been given to the influence of segregation 
partly beause of its importance and partly by way of explaining certain exceptional results. 
The principal purpose of this section has been to demonstrate that aside from the extraneous 
nfluence of length of residence, sex distribution and numerical strength, particular stocks 
differ very radically in assimilability by intermarriage with the other stocks in Canada. 
ASSIMILABILITY WITH THE BRITISH 
In the previous section an attempt was made to demonstrate that the “ origin” groups 
liffer In respect to ease of assimilation by marriage with other stocks in general. This 
section has to do with their assimilability with the British stocks in particular. In the 
discussion of the general question of assimilation, it was necessary to eliminate more or 
‘ess extraneous influences before the intrinsic differences could be isolated and studied. 
[t is possible, however, to secure in a very simple manner what might be termed an index 
of comparative assimilability with a single stock like the British, This may be best illus- 
irated by an example. According to the figures for 1921, 82 p.c. of the Dutch males who 
married outside their group married British wives, but only 12:6 p.c. of the Austrian men 
who intermarried chose mates of British origin. 
What exactly is implied in these figures? In the first place the difference is only slightly 
influenced by length of residence, because the percentages are taken of those who actually 
married outside. It is true that length of residence is closely connected with the amount of 
intermarriage which has taken place at any given time, but correlation makes it clear that 
it has a very moderate influence on the proportion of those who married into the British 
rather than into the other stocks. The coefficient of correlation by method of rank differ- 
ances with the percentage North America born was only + 21. Sex distribution was found 
0 be even less closely related, and it is difficult to trace any connection between 
‘he proportion of those marrying outside their stock who married British and the 
numerical strength of the group in Canada. These three more or less extraneous factors, 
which were given prominence in discussing the general problem of intermarriage, may be 
;onsidered as of minor consequence in investigating the present aspect of the problem of 
assimilation. 
It is necessary at this point to raise the question as to what proportion of exogamous 
marriages should be contracted with the British on the basis of mere chance. In no province 
n the Registration Area was there less than 50 p.c. of the population of British origin. 
Consequently, assuming no discrimination against the British as compared with the other 
stocks and assuming no discrimination on the part of the British against any foreign stock, 
at least 50 p.c. of those of each foreign origin who married outside their group might be 
expected to have taken mates of British stock. Now, when a group shows so small a per- 
sentage as 12-6 p.c. in the face of an expected rate of at least 50 p.c., the inference is that 
ane of two things interfered. Either hereditary barriers stood in the way or there was a 
ack of opportunity of meeting the British because of segregation, or both. As was pointed 
aut above, even the tendency to segregation is largely a matter of “origins”. It would 
seem, then, that the percentages of the several groups marrying out who married into the 
British stocks may be regarded as a very fair indication of relative assimilability with the 
British, under existing conditions of geographical distribution. 
It should be kept clearly in mind that these percentages do mot constitute an absolute 
measure of assimilability, To get an absolute. index one would have to take into con- 
sideration the proportion of the total married who married British, and follow a procedure 
similar to that in the last subsection. Perhaps this may be made clearer as follows: —Total 
ntermarriage may be either large or small without affecting the percentage of those crossing