Who Partners Whom in Diverse Societies? A Multigroup Perspective on Inter-ethnic Unions and Religious Boundaries in the Netherlands
The presence of inter-ethnic consensual unions (i.e., marriages and cohabitations) is an important indicator of social closeness between groups. In Europe, previous research has focused on unions between ethnic minority groups and the majority population, highlighting that religion, especially Islam, constitutes a bright boundary. However, in diversifying societies, opportunities for union formation between distinct minority groups are increasing. Yet, we know little about which ethnic groups are partnering with each other, let alone whether shared religious heritages promote inter-ethnic unions between groups. In this study, we thus examine union formation between any combination of the largest 21 ethnic groups on the partnership market in the Netherlands using full-population register data. The findings of our conditional logit- and meta regression analyses reveal that inter-ethnic unions involving partners from different Muslim-heritage groups remain overall strikingly rare compared to ethnic endogamy. This indicates the persistence of ethnic legacies rather than exclusively religious closure. Across Muslim-, Christian-, and secular-heritage groups, inter-ethnic union formation occurs merely between groups originating from neighboring countries, highlighting the role of pan-ethnicity over religious heritage. Overall, these results underscore the need for a more nuanced understanding of religious boundaries in union formation in Europe.
Date: 22 January 2025, 16:00
Venue: Nuffield College, New Road OX1 1NF
Venue Details: Butler Room (D Staircase)
Speaker: Kasimir Dederichs (Nuffield College)
Organising department: Nuffield College
Organiser: Erzsebet Bukodi (Nuffield College)
Organiser contact email address: sociology.secretary@nuffield.ox.ac.uk
Part of: Nuffield College Sociology Seminars
Booking required?: Not required
Audience: Members of the University only
Editor: Maxine Collett