Does Cultural Heritage Affect Employment Decisions – Empirical Evidence for Second Generation Immigrants in Germany

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In 2010, in 59 percent of the families without migration background in Germany, both partners were in paid work. In contrast, this merely holds for 39 percent of the families with a migration background. Further, in 40 percent of these families with migration history only the father pursued an occupational activity (Statistisches Bundesamt, 2012a). Migration based differences in labor market behavior are mainly explained by highlighting the importance of demographic characteristics, like educational attainment and family composition, and structural variables, such as differences in the institutional and economic environment in the country of origin, assimilation, and social integration as well as the number of years since migration. Instead of focusing on individual and structural determinants of employment choices alone, the main thesis of this paper is that cultural norms regarding existing gender role models within society may play a major role for labor market decisions, especially for females.