Intergenerational Conflicts Due to Exogamy? The Impact of Migrants' Interethnic Partner Choices on Ties to Mothers

Annegret Gawron , University of Rostock

This paper investigates whether migrants in exogamous unions (i.e., with a native partner) are more likely to experience conflicts with their mothers compared to those in endogamous unions (i.e., unions with co-ethnics). While parents may prefer endogamy for their children, which suggests that migrants in exogamous unions might face a higher likelihood of strained intergenerational ties, it is important to consider that exogamy links the social networks to which the partners belong. As this linkage may contribute to mutual acceptance over time, intergenerational conflicts may diminish at least from dating to marriage and with increasing marriage duration. Using data from the German Family Panel (pairfam, wave 1-13, 2008/2009-2020/21), I analyse conflicts with mothers among (first- and second-generation) migrants in exogamous and endogamous unions. Descriptive results show that exogamous migrants have higher levels of conflict with their mothers than their endogamous counterparts. To account for life course transitions, I employ fixed-effects models to assess how the relationship between exogamy and conflicts with mothers changes from dating to marriage and with marriage duration. Results indicate that the transition from dating to marriage is associated with an increase in conflicts among migrants in exogamous unions compared to migrants in endogamous unions, and these conflicts may not necessarily decrease with marriage duration. Subgroup analysis shows that this is particularly evident for women and non-European migrants. Consequently, the study suggests that exogamy may have a lasting impact on intergenerational ties.

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 Presented in Session 63. Family and Social Ties of Migrants