Who do immigrants marry? Partner choice of single immigrants in Germany

Abstract

This article analyses the factors leading single immigrants in Germany to marry a native partner, a co-national immigrant residing in Germany, or a co-national residing in the country of origin. Assimilation hypothesis and the importance of numerical constraints within the marriage market are generally confirmed for the case of mixed marriages. In contrast, the practice of importing spouses and its relation with integration reveals more complex. Differences between men and women in their propensity to import partners from origin, and how these propensities relate to education are particularly puzzling. While the practice of importing a partner is related to low educational levels for men, this does not seem to be the case for women. The Lievens’ hypothesis, which suggests that immigrant women may use traditional forms of marriage to achieve modern goals such as living independently from their own and their in-law relatives after getting married, is not able to account for this result.