Endogamy and fertility among second-generation men of Turkish and Moroccan origin in Belgium

Lisa Van Landschoot, Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Helga A. G. de Valk, Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI) and Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Jan Van Bavel, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

In recent years, children of Turkish and Moroccan labour immigrants have been reaching the age of union and family formation. The majority of this young adult second-generation still chooses a partner born and raised in the country of origin of their parents (i.e., a first-generation partner). The popularity of choosing a first-generation partner is often explained by the legal constraints that both origin groups face to enter Belgium. However, some authors emphasise that the choice for a first-generation partner may also be the result of specific partner preferences. Some second-generation men may perceive their female counterparts as too modern and choose a first-generation wife in order to realise traditional ideals. This study aims to explore this by linking the partner choice of second-generation men to their fertility behaviour. We investigate how the generation and origin of the female partner affects the fertility of second-generation men of Turkish and Moroccan origin. We use Belgian Population Register data for the years 2001-2006 linked back to the 2001 Census and analyse the fertility of married second-generation men from date of marriage formation until the end of observation. If second-generation men do indeed partner a first-generation wife in order to reinforce traditional behaviour, fertility patterns are expected to differ according to whom they are married to. Therefore, we will follow an approach that accounts for observed and unobserved selection into union in order to disentangle the net influence of the origin and generation of the female partner.