IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/dem/demres/v40y2019i21.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Is there an association between marital exogamy of immigrants and nonmigrants and their mental health? A two-partners approach

Author

Listed:
  • Nadja Milewski

    (Universität Rostock)

  • Annegret Gawron

    (Universität zu Köln)

Abstract

Objective: We study mental health in immigrants and nonmigrants, distinguishing between people in exogamous and endogamous marriages. Our theoretical considerations are based on concepts of the economics of marriage, resources, and conflict. We test two competing hypotheses: Intermarriage may be associated with a gain effect or it may be related to a negative strain effect. Methods: We use SHARE data from waves 1, 2, and 4–6 (2004–2015). Our sample consists of 20,383 individuals living in nine European countries (15% migrants, 85% nonmigrants). The dependent variable is depression measured in the EURO-D scale; we applied mixed-effects linear regression models for repeated observations. Results: Overall, we found that migrants in exogamous marriages were more likely to report lower levels of depression than their counterparts in endogamous marriages, whereas nonmigrants in an exogamous marriage reported higher levels of depression. Several types of independent variables explained the total effect of the marriage type on mental health for migrants and nonmigrant men; for nonmigrant women the negative effect remained small but significant. Conclusions: Our results support partially the hypothesis of a gain effect of a mixed marriage for mental health among immigrants, while at the same time suggesting that being in an exogamous marriage has a negative strain effect on mental health for nonmigrants. Contribution: Our results suggest that the question of the costs and benefits of a mixed marriage should be investigated for migrants as well as for nonmigrants, in order to determine whether such marriages can contribute to a two-sided understanding of immigrant integration.

Suggested Citation

  • Nadja Milewski & Annegret Gawron, 2019. "Is there an association between marital exogamy of immigrants and nonmigrants and their mental health? A two-partners approach," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 40(21), pages 561-598.
    • Handle: RePEc:dem:demres:v:40:y:2019:i:21
    DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2019.40.21
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.demographic-research.org/volumes/vol40/21/40-21.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.4054/DemRes.2019.40.21?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. David Coleman, 2006. "Immigration and Ethnic Change in Low‐Fertility Countries: A Third Demographic Transition," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 32(3), pages 401-446, September.
    2. Olga Nottmeyer, 2010. "Does Intermarriage Pay Off?: A Panel Data Analysis," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 1044, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    3. Foders, Federico, 2004. "Zuwanderungspolitik in Europa: Begrenzung, Steuerung oder Förderung der Migration?," Open Access Publications from Kiel Institute for the World Economy 3261, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    4. Zhiqiang Feng & Paul Boyle & Maarten Ham & Gillian M. Raab, 2012. "Are Mixed-Ethnic Unions More Likely to Dissolve Than Co-Ethnic Unions? New Evidence from Britain [Les unions mixtes sont-elles plus fragiles que les unions entre partenaires de même origine ethniqu," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 28(2), pages 159-176, May.
    5. Olga Nottmeyer, 2010. "Does Intermarriage Pay Off?: A Panel Data Analysis," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 314, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    6. Nadja Milewski & Hill Kulu, 2014. "Mixed Marriages in Germany: A High Risk of Divorce for Immigrant-Native Couples," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 30(1), pages 89-113, February.
    7. Xin Meng & Dominique Meurs, 2009. "Intermarriage, language, and economic assimilation process," International Journal of Manpower, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 30(1/2), pages 127-144, March.
    8. Kantarevic, Jasmin, 2004. "Interethnic Marriages and Economic Assimilation of Immigrants," IZA Discussion Papers 1142, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    9. Xin Meng & Robert G. Gregory, 2005. "Intermarriage and the Economic Assimilation of Immigrants," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 23(1), pages 135-176, January.
    10. Eikemo, Terje Andreas & Bambra, Clare & Judge, Ken & Ringdal, Kristen, 2008. "Welfare state regimes and differences in self-perceived health in Europe: A multilevel analysis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 66(11), pages 2281-2295, June.
    11. Nottmeyer, Olga, 2010. "Does Intermarriage Pay Off? A Panel Data Analysis," IZA Discussion Papers 5104, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    12. Paul Nystedt & Martin Dribe, 2015. "Is there an Intermarriage Premium for Male Immigrants? Exogamy and Earnings in Sweden 1990–2009," International Migration Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(1), pages 3-35, March.
    13. Heinz Fassmann, 1997. "Is the Austrian Labour Market Ethnically Segmented?," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 13(1), pages 17-32, March.
    14. Olsen, Karen M. & Dahl, Svenn-Åge, 2007. "Health differences between European countries," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 64(8), pages 1665-1678, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Eleonora Trappolini & Giammarco Alderotti, 2023. "Migrants’ health in Italy: do the union status and the partner’s nationality matter? (Best Young Researcher Paper 2023)," RIEDS - Rivista Italiana di Economia, Demografia e Statistica - The Italian Journal of Economic, Demographic and Statistical Studies, SIEDS Societa' Italiana di Economia Demografia e Statistica, vol. 77(2), pages 179-189, April-Jun.
    2. Gina Potarca & Laura Bernardi, 2021. "The Intermarriage Life Satisfaction Premium," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 22(3), pages 1413-1440, March.
    3. Anna Oksuzyan & Sven Drefahl & Jennifer Caputo & Siddartha Aradhya, 2023. "Is it Better to Intermarry? Immigration Background of Married Couples and Suicide Risk Among Native-Born and Migrant Persons in Sweden," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 39(1), pages 1-26, December.
    4. Annegret Gawron & Nadja Milewski, 2024. "Migration, Partner Selection, and Fertility in Germany: How Many Children are Born in Mixed Unions?," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 40(1), pages 1-29, December.
    5. Gawron, Annegret & Carol, Sarah, 2022. "Immigrants’ Life Satisfaction in Intermarriages with Natives: A Family Life Course Perspective," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, issue OnlineFir, pages 1-1.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Furtado, Delia & Song, Tao, 2014. "Trends in the Returns to Social Assimilation: Earnings Premiums among U.S. Immigrants that Marry Natives," IZA Discussion Papers 8626, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    2. Nekby, Lena, 2010. "Inter- and Intra-Marriage Premiums Revisited: It’s probably who you are, not who you marry!," Research Papers in Economics 2010:23, Stockholm University, Department of Economics.
    3. Rosa Weber, 2015. "Does intermarriage change migrants’ preferences for the home country?," IZA Journal of Migration and Development, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 4(1), pages 1-21, December.
    4. Thomas Andrén & Daniela Andrén, 2013. "State dependence in Swedish social assistance," Discussion Papers 19, Central European Labour Studies Institute (CELSI).
    5. 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.
    6. Olga Nottmeyer, 2015. "Intermarriage and the economic success of immigrants," IZA World of Labor, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), pages 160-160, June.
    7. Dan Rodríguez-García, 2015. "Intermarriage and Integration Revisited," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 662(1), pages 8-36, November.
    8. Delia Furtado & Tao Song, 2015. "Intermarriage and Socioeconomic Integration," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 662(1), pages 207-222, November.
    9. Gawron, Annegret & Carol, Sarah, 2022. "Immigrants’ Life Satisfaction in Intermarriages with Natives: A Family Life Course Perspective," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, issue OnlineFir, pages 1-1.
    10. Delia Furtado & Stephen J. Trejo, 2013. "Interethnic marriages and their economic effects," Chapters, in: Amelie F. Constant & Klaus F. Zimmermann (ed.), International Handbook on the Economics of Migration, chapter 15, pages 276-292, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    11. Hill Kulu & Amparo González-Ferrer, 2014. "Family Dynamics Among Immigrants and Their Descendants in Europe: Current Research and Opportunities," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 30(4), pages 411-435, November.
    12. Miao Chi, 2017. "Improved legal status as the major source of earnings premiums associated with intermarriage: evidence from the 1986 IRCA amnesty," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 15(2), pages 691-706, June.
    13. Leen Rahnu & Allan Puur & Luule Sakkeus & Martin Klesment, 2015. "Partnership dynamics among migrants and their descendants in Estonia," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 32(56), pages 1519-1566.
    14. Amuedo-Dorantes, Catalina & Arenas-Arroyo, Esther & Wang, Chunbei, 2020. "Is immigration enforcement shaping immigrant marriage patterns?," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    15. Laura Bottazzi & Paolo Manasse & Sarah Grace See, 2017. "Better Wed Over the Mixen Than Over The Moon? Break-ups of Inter-ethnic Marriages in Italy," Carlo Alberto Notebooks 499, Collegio Carlo Alberto.
    16. Olga Nottmeyer, 2010. "Does Intermarriage Pay Off?: A Panel Data Analysis," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 1044, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    17. Delia Furtado & Nikolaos Theodoropoulos, 2009. "Intermarriage and Immigrant Employment: The Role of Networks," RF Berlin - CReAM Discussion Paper Series 0906, Rockwool Foundation Berlin (RF Berlin) - Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration (CReAM).
    18. Bastian Schulz & Fabian Siuda, 2020. "Marriage and Divorce: The Role of Labor Market Institutions," CESifo Working Paper Series 8508, CESifo.
    19. Chi, Miao & Drewianka, Scott, 2014. "How much is a green card worth? Evidence from Mexican men who marry women born in the U.S," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 103-116.
    20. Olga Nottmeyer, 2010. "Does Intermarriage Pay Off?: A Panel Data Analysis," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 314, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    exogamy; mixed marriage; migrants; well-being; social capital; Survey of Health; Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE);
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

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

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:dem:demres:v:40:y:2019:i:21. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Editorial Office (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.demogr.mpg.de/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.