Does Social Embeddedness Influence Union Formation Choices among the Turkish and Moroccan Second Generation in The Netherlands?

Abstract

This paper examines the influence of contact outside one’s own ethnic group on four different aspects of union formation among the Turkish and Moroccan second generation in the Netherlands. Non-co-ethnic networks offer potentially different views on union formation compared to the families of origin and may thus be relevant for the choices young adults make in this domain. We distinguish between strong ties (close non-co-ethnic friends) and weak ties (ethnic composition of secondary school) and study the effects of these types of ties on four aspects of union formation, namely the timing of starting a first union, the timing of first marriage, the type of union (marriage versus cohabitation) and the ethnic origin of the partner. Using data from “The Integration of the European Second Generation” (TIES) survey for the Netherlands collected in 2007, we find that a higher level of embeddedness into non-co-ethnic networks, in particular having many close friends, influences each of the four union formation choices studied. Weak ties affect the timing of a first union and a first marriage. Effects of weak ties were not found for other aspects of union formation. These results points to the importance of social actors outside the family. Our findings suggest that in particular strong ties with non-co-ethnics are relevant for union formation choices.