Chapter 7 - Immigrants and Demography: Marriage, Divorce, and Fertility

Abstract

Abstract We discuss some of the data and methodological challenges to estimating trends in family formation and union dissolution as well as fertility among immigrants, and examine the evidence collected from the main studies in the area. With regard to marriage we focus on the determinants of intermarriage, the stability of these unions, and the timing of union formation. Marriage propensities are embedded in the cultural background of migrants and, hence, the capacity to form and maintain exogamous unions (between a foreign- and a native-born) can be interpreted as a strong sign of successful integration. Similarly, union dissolution among immigrants has important policy implications because of the likely vulnerability of immigrant women and their children, since women are less established in the labor force and more at risk of poverty than men. Next we review a set of mechanisms that may explain the fertility behavior of first-generation immigrants—namely selection, disruption, and adaptation. While all three mechanisms can be present concurrently, age at immigration influences their relative importance as it impacts when in her life-cycle a woman migrates as well as her ability to become proficient in the local language and understand the local norms. The section ends with a focus on the second generation. The literature on immigrant family formation is diverse but perhaps the key findings highlighted in this chapter are that outcomes depend greatly on the age at migration and on the cultural norms immigrants bring with them and their distance to those of the host country.