Core and periphery of Indian diaspora: a comparative study of occupation, household and gender relations in the USA and Spain

Nachatter Singh Garha, Centre d’Estudis Demogràfics (CED), UAB
Rocio Treviño-Maruri, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Andreu Domingo, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

The aim of this paper is to analyze socio-demographic factors which differentiate the core and periphery of Indian diaspora i. e. USA and Spain, with special focus on gender relations. Due to the restrictive immigration policies of UK in 1960’s, USA emerged as the most favored destinations for Indian immigrants and become the center of diaspora with 2.8 million residents of Indian origin, on the other hand, in the south of the European Union, coinciding with the immigration boom of the 21st century, Spain with 40,000 Indians, has started to emerge as a new place of attraction. Here the difference between center and periphery is not only the question of absolute numbers but is also marked by the socio demographic characteristics (sex ratios, household structure, regional origins, occupation and level of education) and the pattern of settlement of Indian immigrants in different locations. In this paper our main objectives are first to compare the present trends of Indian immigration to the USA and Spain, secondly, to explore their occupational structure taking into account gender gaps and the factors contributing to these differences in it, and finally to study the demographic and non-demographic factors responsible for the present household structure of Indians in both countries. For this study, we are using logistic regression models to quantify the role of different independent variable in changing the profile of Indian immigrants at both destinations. The data are obtained from the IPUMS international database which provides harmonized census micro data 2010 of the USA and census data from Spanish Census of population and housing 2011, provided by INE. We expect to demonstrate how the Centre or the periphery position determines not only the volume or demographic characteristics of Indian population, but also evolves in their socioeconomic and demographic setup.