Transnational Endogamous Couples of Immigrants’ Descendants in France
This study of marital choices of descendants of immigrants born or raised in France whose parents emigrated from North-Africa, Sahelian Africa or Turkey shows that a certain number of them marry immigrants from their parents’ home country. This article looks at the social and cultural characteristics of these transnational endogamous couples as compared to other marital choices. Results are drawn from both the statistical survey Trajectoires et origines (INED/INSEE 2008) and a series of biographical interviews conducted in 2007. Couples who choose this conjugal option seem to prefer a more communitarian way of being together, insuring generational continuity and maintaining traditional roles. Their choices suggest that these cultural preferences seem to be the consequence of their social conditions, e.g. lack of education, employment insecurity, and residence in segregated neighbourhoods.