Partner Choice Patterns Among the Descendants of T

Authors: Doreen Huschek Helga A G de Valk Aart C Liefbroer

Publish Date: 2012/06/22

Volume: 28, Issue: 3, Pages: 241-268

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Abstract

We examine the partner choice patterns of secondgeneration Turks in 13 European cities in seven countries We not only compare intermarriage versus endogamous marriage but also explicitly include the choice of a secondgeneration partner of the same origin and of a partner of other migrant origin as important alternatives In Europe populations are made up increasingly of migrants and their descendants resulting in new alternative partner options not open before Findings suggest that secondgeneration Turks who choose a secondgeneration partner seem to be located between the partner choice of a firstgeneration and native partner in terms of family values and contact to noncoethnic peers The choice of a partner of other migrant origin hardly differs in these characteristics from the choice of a native partner Context variables such as group size and type of integration policies seem to play a role for the likelihood of having a firstgeneration versus a secondgeneration partner of Turkish origin but not for the likelihood of exogamous partner choice A secondgeneration partner is the most popular choice in Germany but represents a minor option in the other countries Furthermore a partner of other migrant origin is more common among men but is in some countries more popular than a native partner among Turkish secondgeneration men and womenNous examinons les schémas de choix du partenaire pour les Turcs de seconde génération dans treize villes européennes de 7 différents pays Nous ne nous limitons pas à comparer mariage mixte entre une partenaire d’origine turque et unee partenaire originaire du pays versus mariage endogamique mais nous incluons également le choix d’un partenaire de seconde génération de même origine ou d’un autre pays d’origine comme des alternatives importantes En Europe les populations incluent un nombre grandissant de migrants et de descendants de migrants ce qui conduit à de nouvelles options possibles en termes de choix de partenaire Les résultats suggèrent que les Turcs de seconde génération qui choisissent un partenaire de seconde génération se situent en termes de valeurs familiales et contacts avec des pairs d’autres ethnies entre ceux faisant le choix d’un partenaire de première génération et ceux choisissant un natif comme partenaire En revanche ces caractéristiques différent peu dans le cas de choix d’un partenaire d’une autre origine migratoire versus choix d’un partenaire originaire du pays Des variables contextuelles telles que les effectifs du groupe et le type de politiques d’intégration semblent avoir un impact sur la probabilité d’avoir un partenaire de première génération versus un partenaire de seconde génération d’origine turque mais pas sur celle d’un choix de partenaire exogame Un partenaire de seconde génération est le choix le plus fréquent en Allemagne mais ne représente qu’une option minoritaire dans les autres pays De plus choisir une partenaire d‘une autre origine migratoire est plus fréquent chez les hommes mais dans certains pays ce choix s’avère plus fréquent qu’unee partenaire originaire du pays tant pour les femmes que les hommes turcs de seconde générationThe children of former labor migrants from Turkey constitute a growing proportion of the young adult population throughout Europe As a result of their growing numerical presence the family formation choices of the second generation are increasingly important for the demographic future of European societies Coleman 2006 Lucassen and Laarman 2009 yet it is unclear what shape their family formation choices will take On the one hand they are influenced by ideas and behavioral patterns that are dominant in their settlement countries On the other hand their parents were socialized in the Turkish tradition of partner choice and family formation which is characterized by early union formation and a strong familial influence on the union formation choices of their children De Valk et al 2004 Kagitçibasi 1996 Nauck 2002 The present study will explore this issue by studying the partner choices of secondgeneration Turks in seven European countriesSo far research primarily focuses on whether migrants intermarry or choose a partner from their own group Classical studies in the United States perceived intermarriage as the final step of integration Gordon 1964 Lieberson and Waters 1988 and as an indicator for diminishing social and cultural boundaries between groups Alba and Golden 1986 Kalmijn 1998 These studies generally assume that assimilation is a gradual process and that with prolonged residence intermarriage rates will increase Both NorthAmerican and European studies on intermarriage of firstgeneration migrants report low levels of intermarriage between groups of different origins Alba and Nee 2003 Dribe and Lundh 2011 Furtado and Theodoropoulos 2011 Kalmijn and Van Tubergen 2010 Lee and Boyd 2008 Lucassen and Laarman 2009 Muttarak and Heath 2010 SánchezDomínguez et al 2011 In addition although an overall increase over generations in levels of intermarriage is found in both North America and Europe differences between origin groups remain eg Lee and Boyd 2008 Muttarak and Heath 2010 Earlier studies have reported that the second generation also continues to have spouses from their parents’ country of origin This is believed to be associated with a tendency of migrants and their descendants to hold on to values and customs from their country of origin which is reinforced by continued migration pressure from their country of origin and by restrictive migration rules BeckGernsheim 2007 Çelikaksoy et al 2006 Timmerman et al 2009Partner choice among migrants has been extensively studied yet few studies in Europe exclusively focus on the descendants of these migrants the socalled second generation Our study aims to fill this gap We do so by studying the second generation of the largest single migrant group in Europe those of Turkish descent Eurostat 2011 Furthermore our study goes beyond earlier research on partner choice among migrants in several ways First while most studies only contrast endogamous unions and intermarriage we explicitly include alternative partner choice options ie an endogamous union with a secondgeneration partner of the same origin and intermarriage with a partner of another migrant group The latter two options constitute alternatives which become relevant in view of the ethnic diversification of European populations The growing size of the second generation in marriageable ages in Europe translates into more opportunities to opt for an endogamous union in which social and cultural capital is shared between partners Esser 2001 Esveldt et al 1995 Lichter et al 2011 The size of the ethnic group has been found to play an important role in the partner choices of firstgeneration migrants Blau 1994 Lieberson and Waters 1988 In addition a more diverse ethnic composition of the young adult population increases the opportunities of partnering with someone of another migrant origin Nowadays around 9  of the EU population is foreign born Individual countries’ estimates on migrants their descendants and naturalized persons range between 13  eg Austria and Belgium to 30  eg Switzerland of population shares Eurostat 2011Second previous work focused on the role of families and ethnic communities on partner choice Chiswick and Houseworth 2011 Kalmijn 1998 but did not examine the importance of engaging in social relations with members of other ethnic groups We include a direct measure of exposure to crossethnic relations in this paper and study the role that peers particularly those from different ethnic origins have in partner choice The importance of peers has hardly been studied even though contact with peers—for instance in a school setting—offers a direct opportunity to gain knowledge about and establish contacts with the majority as well as other ethnic groups In addition earlier US studies attest to the potential importance of peer contacts in which interethnic friendship during adolescence was also found to predict later intermarriage ClarkIbanez and Felmlee 2004 King and Harris 2007Finally this study adds an innovative comparative dimension in which secondgeneration Turks across Europe are analyzed Our study covers 13 cities in seven European countries with sizable groups of Turkish migrants The 2007–2008 TIES “The Integration of the European Second Generation” survey collected information on secondgeneration respondents aged 18–35 years using a similar questionnaire and design in each city This not only allows for comparison of partner choice patterns of one ethnic group across cities but also the testing of the relevance of macrolevel factors such as local group size migration and integration policies These latter policies potentially influence partner choice as they set different barriers for migration and stimulate contact with the majority population in distinct manners The countries in our study—the Netherlands Belgium Sweden Austria Germany France and Switzerland—exemplify different migration and integration regimes Comparing the same secondgeneration group across Europe provides important insights into the mechanisms behind partner choice of the growing second generationThe Turkish are the largest singleorigin group of migrants in Europe with the largest share defined as being born in Turkey or having at least one Turkish parent living in Germany Statistisches Bundesamt 2007 2744800 2005 followed by the Netherlands Statistics Netherlands 2012 373000 2007 and France INSEE 2008 222000 During the 1960s and 1970s Western European countries recruited “guest workers” resulting in the influx of substantial numbers of migrants of Turkish descent The majority of these migrants concentrated in old urban industrial areas In general these former Turkish labor migrants are characterized as having rural origins and low educational levels and are reported as being part of cohesive communities that maintain strong ties to Turkey Lievens 2000 Timmerman et al 2009 Although the majority of the second generation are children from these original labor migrants the composition of the Turkish community in European countries varies by ethnicity religion and region of origin Clear dividing lines and limited social interaction exist between these groups Wilpert and Gitmez 1987 Across Europe the secondgeneration Turkish population when compared to native populations generally has lower levels of both educational and occupational attainment as well as reduced prospects in the labor market for an overview see Heath et al 2008 At the same time the second generation is experiencing upward social mobility compared to their parents Heath et al 2008

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