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Intermarriage And The Labor Market Outcomes Of Asian Women

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  • Sukanya Basu

Abstract

type="main" xml:id="ecin12229-abs-0001"> The impact of intermarriage with natives, on labor market outcomes of immigrants, is not homogeneous across ethnic groups. Wages of Asian women are compared with non-Asians. Both ordinary least squares and instrumental variables estimates of the effects of intermarriage on the wages of Asian women are negative and significant. Non-Asian women earn a wage premium that becomes insignificant when controls for selection into marriage are introduced. One possible explanation for the intermarriage penalty for Asians is an income effect of having a high-earning native husband. Intermarriage penalties rise with husband's education. Assimilation patterns of intermarried Asians indicate that they have lower initial wages, market hours, and employment, but exhibit faster rates of growth over their years of stay. The results are robust across Asian subgroups and husband's ethnicity . ( JEL J16, J12, J31, J61)

Suggested Citation

  • Sukanya Basu, 2015. "Intermarriage And The Labor Market Outcomes Of Asian Women," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 53(4), pages 1718-1734, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:ecinqu:v:53:y:2015:i:4:p:1718-1734
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    Cited by:

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    2. Matthew Gregg & Melinda C. Miller, 2022. "Race and agriculture during the assimilation era: Evidence from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 46(37), pages 1109-1136.
    3. Bastian Schulz & Fabian Siuda, 2020. "Marriage and Divorce: The Role of Labor Market Institutions," CESifo Working Paper Series 8508, CESifo.
    4. Adda Carla Justiniano Medina & Marie Valentova, 2025. "Is There an Employment Advantage for Immigrant Women Who Marry Natives in Italy?," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 41(1), pages 1-43, December.
    5. Ekaterina Ponomareva & Shin-Yi Chou & Alex Nikolsko-Rzhevskyy, 2018. "Social and Economic Impacts of International Marriages in Europe," Journal of Labor Research, Springer, vol. 39(3), pages 259-276, September.
    6. Delphine BOUTIN, 2018. "The role of internal migration in accessing a first job: A case study of Uganda," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 157(4), pages 631-650, December.
    7. Basu Sukanya & Insler Michael, 2017. "Education Outcomes of Children of Asian Intermarriages: Does Gender of the Immigrant Parent Matter?," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 17(1), pages 1-21, February.
    8. Zerong Wang & Guochang Zhao, 2022. "Cultural integration among non‐Han migrants in urban China: To what extent does intermarriage matter?," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(4), pages 1490-1512, December.
    9. Bastian Schulz & Fabian Siuda, 2023. "Marriage and divorce: the role of unemployment insurance," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 36(4), pages 2277-2308, October.
    10. Boutin, Delphine, 2016. "Migration Experience and Access to a First Job in Uganda," IZA Discussion Papers 10119, IZA Network @ LISER.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers

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