Employment Arrangements in Mixed Couples: Is an Egalitarian Arrangement More or Less Likely when a Native Is Married to a Migrant?

Mirko Braack , University of Rostock
Nadja Milewski, Federal Institut for Population Research, Wiesbaden

In this paper, we study gender role behavior in mixed couples. We focus on employment arrangements as an example of persistent gender inequality in Germany. According to classical assimilation theory, such unions are a means to and a result of immigrants’ integration into the host society. However, less is known about the native partners. Drawing on the scientific use file of the German Microcensus for 2013, we examine a sample of 47,969 native men (7.1% in a mixed union) and 47,102 native women (5.4% in a mixed union). We estimate a multinomial logistic regression model, and control for the socio-demographics characteristics of each partner and the couple. Our findings indicate that the male-breadwinner arrangement is significantly more common among native men and native women in mixed than in non-mixed couples, and that for men, being in a mixed union is associated with a re-traditionalization of gender roles.

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 Presented in Session P1. Poster Session Fertility, Family and the Life Course