Marriage Transitions and Integration: Determinants and Preferences in the First Marriage among Immigrants in Spain

Luis Alberto Del Rey Poveda, Universidad de Salamanca
Daniela Vono, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

The main objective of this study is to analyze the endogamous and exogamous transition to first marriage of immigrants by sex as an indicator of the integration process of this population in Spain. We focus on two kinds of determinants, the marriage market and individual preferences, in order to analyze the causes of this transition among individuals from Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Morocco and Romania, which are the most representative immigrant groups from developing countries in Spain. We have used data from the 2007 Spanish National Immigration Survey and we have applied a discrete-time logistic model in order to estimate the risk of getting married by year of residence as single. The analysis of the marriage patterns under the perspective of integration in the host society shows that this is a matter that depends not only on individual preferences but also on the structure and composition of the group.