Mixed Couples in European Countries: Who Is in a Union With a Migrant?

Mirko Braack , University of Rostock
Nadja Milewski, Universität Rostock

Previous research links integration and union (marriage or non-marital cohabitation) between migrants and natives. Classical assimilation theory sees mixed unions as both a means to and a result of immigrants’ integration processes into host societies. However, almost nothing is known about the native partners. We focus on detailing the patterns and determinants of natives in mixed unions. We use the first wave of the “Generations and Gender Survey” for logistic regression models. Our sample includes 91774 persons from 15 European countries. We discuss the migration histories in Europe, and expect to find in Western Europe more mixed unions. Reflecting homogamy preferences and social exchange theory, we think that men have a higher chance for mixed unions. Our findings show that a few natives, mostly from Western Europe, are in a mixed union. The difference between men and women is not, if they are in a mixed union but with whom.

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 Presented in Session 8. Economy, Labor Force, Education, & Inequality