Does Intermarriage Increase the Risk of Divorce? The Impact of Human Capital and Cultural Dissimilarity on Divorce Risks for Immigrants in Sweden 1990-2005

Martin Dribe, Lund University
Christer Lundh, Goteborgs Universitet

In this paper the connection between intermarriage (exogamy with a native) and divorce is analyzed using individual level register data for all immigrants moving to Sweden after 1968 and getting married between 1990 and 2000. Using event history models we study the impact of type of marriage (endogamous, exogamous with a native, exogamous with another immigrant) and cultural distance between the spouses (based on a 10-category country grouping reflecting language, religion and level of development) on divorce risks, controlling for standard human capital and demographic characteristics of the spouses. Our main hypotheses are that intermarriage increases divorce risks, and that this effect increases with a greater cultural distance between the spouses. The results have implications not only for our understanding of divorce patterns but also of the societal integration of immigrants in Western societies, and the role of marriage choices in this process.