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Interethnic Marriages and their Economic Effects

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  • Furtado, Delia

    (University of Connecticut)

  • Trejo, Stephen

    (University of Texas at Austin)

Abstract

Immigrants who marry outside of their ethnicity tend to have better economic outcomes than those who marry within ethnicity. It is difficult, however, to interpret this relationship because individuals with stronger preferences for ethnic endogamy are likely to differ in unobserved ways from those with weaker preferences. To clarify some of the complex issues surrounding interethnic marriage and assimilation, this chapter starts by considering the determinants of intermarriage, proceeds with an examination of the economic consequences of intermarriage, and ends with a discussion of the links between intermarriage, ethnic identification, and measurement of long-term socioeconomic integration.

Suggested Citation

  • Furtado, Delia & Trejo, Stephen, 2012. "Interethnic Marriages and their Economic Effects," IZA Discussion Papers 6399, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp6399
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Nora Gordon & Sarah Reber, 2018. "The effects of school desegregation on mixed-race births," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 31(2), pages 561-596, April.
    2. Verdier, Thierry & Zenou, Yves, 2017. "The role of social networks in cultural assimilation," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 15-39.
    3. Sweetman, A. & van Ours, J.C., 2014. "Immigration : What About the Children and Grandchildren?," Discussion Paper 2014-009, Tilburg University, Center for Economic Research.
    4. Eleftherios Giovanis & Sacit Hadi Akdede & Oznur Ozdamar, 2021. "Impact of the EU Blue Card programme on cultural participation and subjective well-being of migrants in Germany," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(7), pages 1-34, July.
    5. Osea Giuntella, 2016. "Assimilation and Health: Evidence From Linked Birth Records of Second- and Third-Generation Hispanics," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 53(6), pages 1979-2004, December.
    6. Andrén, Daniela & Andrén, Thomas, 2013. "State dependence in Swedish social assistance," Working Papers 2013:7, Örebro University, School of Business.
    7. Bijia Chen & Cameron Campbell & Hao Dong, 2018. "Interethnic marriage in Northeast China, 1866–1913," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 38(34), pages 929-966.
    8. Matz, Julia Anna, 2013. "Ethnicity, Marriage and Family Income," Discussion Papers 154935, University of Bonn, Center for Development Research (ZEF).
    9. Aycan Çelikaksoy, 2014. "Parental Background and Union Formation Behavior of Native Born Individuals in Sweden with a Foreign Background," Societies, MDPI, vol. 4(3), pages 1-12, June.
    10. Olga Nottmeyer, 2015. "Intermarriage and the economic success of immigrants," IZA World of Labor, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), pages 160-160, June.
    11. Ognjen Obućina, 2016. "Partner Choice in Sweden Following a Failed Intermarriage," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 32(4), pages 511-542, October.
    12. Andrén, Daniela & Andrén, Thomas, 2013. "State dependence in Swedish social assistance in the 1990s: What happened to those who were single before the recession?," Working Papers 2013:10, Örebro University, School of Business.
    13. Davide Azzolini & Raffaele Guetto, 2017. "The impact of citizenship on intermarriage: Quasi-experimental evidence from two European Union Eastern enlargements," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 36(43), pages 1299-1336.
    14. Davide Azzolini & Raffaele Guetto & Joan Eliel Madia, 2017. "Do Mixed Unions Foster Integration? The Educational Outcomes of Mixed-Parentage Children in Italy," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 18(4), pages 1033-1060, November.
    15. Ho-Po Crystal Wong, 2016. "Ethnic assortative matching in marriage and family outcomes: evidence from the mass migration to the US during 1900–1930," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 29(3), pages 817-848, July.
    16. Morando, Greta, 2014. "Partner ethnicity and ethnic minority socio- economic occupation: evidence from the UK," ISER Working Paper Series 2014-29, Institute for Social and Economic Research.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    immigration; intermarriage; ethnicity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers

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