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Return intentions over the life course: Evidence on the effects of life events from a longitudinal sample of first- and second-generation Turkish migrants in Germany

Author

Listed:
  • Giulia Bettin

    (Università Politecnica delle Marche)

  • Eralba Cela

    (Università degli Studi di Milano (UNIMI))

  • Tineke Fokkema

    (Nederlands Interdisciplinair Demografisch Instituut (NIDI))

Abstract

Background: Although a growing body of migration literature has focused on the determinants of migrants’ plans to return to the home country, the role major life events play in return migration intention – including transitions and turning points, key concepts of the life course approach – has barely been examined. Objective: We address the following research question: What are the effects of family, work, and health events on the return intentions of first- and second-generation Turks living in Germany? Methods: We answer this research question using longitudinal data of first- and second-generation Turkish migrants who participated in the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP) study between 1984 and 2012. Results: The results for first-generation Turkish migrants show that entering the empty-nest stage, becoming unemployed, and becoming employed in Germany increase the likelihood of intending to return, while partnership dissolution and childbirth act as a deterrent. Partnership formation, entering retirement, and health deterioration neither trigger nor deter the intention to return. For the second generation, becoming unemployed increases the intention to return, while partnership formation has the opposite effect. Partnership dissolution, childbirth, becoming employed in Germany, and health deterioration have no impact on the likelihood of intending to return. Conclusions: Our study shows that a number of key life events are important triggers of international relocation, although differences emerge when comparing first- and second-generation migrants. Further research could reveal whether these results are specific to the Turkish community. Contribution: The paper proposes several ways in which the life course approach could be developed in return migration research. It is also one of the first attempts to quantitatively assess the role of crucial life events in the family, work, and health domains in the return decision-making process of non-Western first- and second-generation migrants.

Suggested Citation

  • Giulia Bettin & Eralba Cela & Tineke Fokkema, 2018. "Return intentions over the life course: Evidence on the effects of life events from a longitudinal sample of first- and second-generation Turkish migrants in Germany," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 39(38), pages 1009-1038.
    • Handle: RePEc:dem:demres:v:39:y:2018:i:38
    DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2018.39.38
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    Cited by:

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    2. Savas, Esma Betul & Spaan, Juul & Henkens, Kène & Kalmijn, Matthijs & van Dalen, Hendrik Peter, 2023. "Migrating to a new country in late life: A review of the literature on international retirement migration," Other publications TiSEM 5d958f16-41db-4f8f-b0c3-d, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    3. Kaufmann, Marc & Machado, Joël & Verheyden, Bertrand, 2021. "Why Do Migrants Stay Unexpectedly? Misperceptions and Implications for Integration," IZA Discussion Papers 14155, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    4. Feiwei Shen & Wenxin Ye & Cong Wang & Xianhong Huang, 2023. "Effects of Organizational Factors on Identification of Young Returnees from Urban Areas with Rural Societies – A Perspective of Adaptability," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 167(1), pages 363-390, June.
    5. Zane Varpina & Kata Fredheim, 2022. "The Covid-19 pandemic’s impact on migrants’ decision to return home to Latvia," SSE Riga/BICEPS Occasional Papers 16, Baltic International Centre for Economic Policy Studies (BICEPS);Stockholm School of Economics in Riga (SSE Riga).
    6. Petra Wieke Jong, 2022. "Patterns and Drivers of Emigration of the Turkish Second Generation in the Netherlands," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 38(1), pages 15-36, March.
    7. Sergiu Gherghina & Adrian Basarabă, 2024. "Migrants' Voter Turnout in the Home Country Elections: Non‐Integration or Political Anchor?," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 12.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    return migration; Germany; life events; Turks; first generation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

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