Migration and Union Dissolution among Puerto Rican Women

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The aim was to examine the impact of migration on family formation and dissolution among mainland Puerto Ricans at the individual level. Aggregate data have shown significant effects of residential mobility and migration on divorce but operational mechanisms have not been identified. Data for this study were obtained from pooled life history data on Puerto Rican women aged 15-49 years in the US and Puerto Rico available from the 1982 Puerto Rican Fertility and Family Planning Assessment and the 1985 New York Fertility Employment and Migration Survey. Retrospective event histories provided data on cohabitation marriage fertility education employment and migration. Migration is taken to be time varying: nonmigrants return migrants first generation US migrants second generation US residents and US-born return migrants. Union dissolution behavior is analyzed for each status group in multivariate models. The assumption was that differences among status groups in divorce may be due to factors other than migration. Religion number of siblings and mothers age at first birth were included as background variables. Other factors at the start of the union were womans age preunion births union type education and employment experience. Time varying respondent attributes were union type employment and number and ages of children born within the union. The results support prior individual level theories. Puerto Rican women who had early union formation were pregnant at the start of coresidence and had a preunion birth were more likely to have disruption. Employment was also a contributing factor if the woman did not work prior to union formation. Social integration and support also affected union stability. Life tables showed that nonmigrants had the lowest proportion experiencing disruption and disruption rose with exposure to the US. Logistic regressions confirmed the differences between migrants and nonmigrants. The rate of disruption was 50% lower among women who entered legal marriage and the presence of young children <6 years reduced the likelihood of union disruption. The rate of disruption was 57% more likely among women who migrated during the previous year and particularly high among recent migrants in informal unions.