Abstract
This article analyzes interethnic marriage in Croatia in terms of nationality throughout a forty-five year period (1970-2015) on the basis of vital statistics with special consideration of the Czech minority. The usual method of endogamy/exogamy percentage and the odds ratio method were applied. The results show that the percentage of endogamous marriages in Croatia has significantly risen after 1991. Different ethnic groups display various attitudes towards endogamy, ranging from 15 to over 90 percent. Along with Italians, Hungarians and Slovaks, Czechs are less endogamous than other national minorities. Gender differences, contrary to the conclusions in the literature, show that Czech men enter into marriage outside their group less often than Czech women. The change of political climate in Croatia during the 1990s resulted not only in the increase of endogamy, but also affected the structure of mixed marriages among Czechs.
Highlights
Ever since the early 20th century numerous sociologists have studied marriage in terms of ethnic origin, analyzing spouse choice and looking into the reasons for marrying within the same ethnic group or choosing a spouse from a different group (Kalmijn, 1998; Van Tubergen & Mass 2007)
The degree of intermarriage in Croatia The frequency of endogamous marriages in Croatia declined substantially over the course of thirty years, from 85% in 1970 to 81% in 1990, when the endogamy rate was at its lowest (Figure 2)
The reason for this is the change in ethnic structure in Croatia after it declared independence
Summary
Ever since the early 20th century numerous sociologists have studied marriage in terms of ethnic origin, analyzing spouse choice and looking into the reasons for marrying within the same ethnic group or choosing a spouse from a different group (Kalmijn, 1998; Van Tubergen & Mass 2007). Ethnic intermarriages are the best indicator of the frequency of direct social interaction between various ethnic groups in society and are indicative of social acceptance of diversity (RodrìgezGarcìa, 2015; Smits, 2010; Qian at al., 2012). They demonstrate the level of integration and socio-cultural homogenization, or in contrast, the segregation between groups (Botev, 1994; Lachance, 1982). This paper provides, for the first time, an analysis of mixed marriages among Czechs in Croatia and a comparative overview including other nationalities over a period spanning more than four decades
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