The bi-directional impact of a mixed union. People without a migration background in a union with a partner with a migration background

Abstract

ABSTRACT Of the BaM respondents in a relation, no less than a quarter is in a mixed union. We still know very little about the non-migrant partner in unions with a partner with a migration background, including their propensity to adopt the cultural practices of their partner, and their propensity to reach out and embrace ethnic diversity more generally. The growth of intimate relationships between people with and without a migration background in majority minority cities in Europe provides an opportunity to explore the attitudes and experiences of non-migrant individuals in interethnic unions, and what such unions may portend for the wider society. This article makes a critical contribution to the general debate on the assimilation paradigm, which predicts ‘a whitening’ of norms and practices in mixed unions. We will use the BaM data to investigate the potential bi-directional effect of being in a mixed union. Does a mixed union, as assimilation scholars argue, primarily have a whitening impact on the minority partner, or is there also a potential diversifying impact upon the other partner?