The children of intermarriage in four European countries: Implications for school achievement, social contacts, and cultural values

TY - JOUR

T1 - The children of intermarriage in four European countries: Implications for school achievement, social contacts, and cultural values

AU - Kalmijn, M.

PY - 2015

Y1 - 2015

N2 - This article tests the thesis that intermarriage fosters the integration of immigrants by studying the children of intermarriage. Using secondary school–based questionnaire data from England, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden, I compare the children of mixed marriages to second-generation immigrants and to children of native origins. Three dimensions of integration are measured: social integration (contacts with natives), cultural integration (religiosity and family values), and economic integration (school achievement tests). I examine the effect of intermarriage on these outcomes as well as interactions with gender, socioeconomic status, destination country, and origin group. Our findings show that the outcomes for the children of mixed origins are in between the outcomes of immigrants and natives. In some respects, mixed children are exactly halfway, confirming a model of additive effects of parental origins. In other cases, mixed children are closer to immigrants than to natives, pointing to a model of stigmatization and ethnic retentionism.

AB - This article tests the thesis that intermarriage fosters the integration of immigrants by studying the children of intermarriage. Using secondary school–based questionnaire data from England, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden, I compare the children of mixed marriages to second-generation immigrants and to children of native origins. Three dimensions of integration are measured: social integration (contacts with natives), cultural integration (religiosity and family values), and economic integration (school achievement tests). I examine the effect of intermarriage on these outcomes as well as interactions with gender, socioeconomic status, destination country, and origin group. Our findings show that the outcomes for the children of mixed origins are in between the outcomes of immigrants and natives. In some respects, mixed children are exactly halfway, confirming a model of additive effects of parental origins. In other cases, mixed children are closer to immigrants than to natives, pointing to a model of stigmatization and ethnic retentionism.

KW - intermarriage

KW - ethnicity

KW - integration

KW - social contacts

KW - values

KW - religion

KW - achievement

KW - ssci

U2 - 10.1177/0002716215595391

DO - 10.1177/0002716215595391

M3 - Article

SN - 0002-7162

VL - 662

SP - 246

EP - 265

JO - Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science

JF - Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science

IS - 1

ER -