The choice of mixed marriage among the second generation in France: A lifetime approach

Abstract

Research on couples with different cultural backgrounds, i.e. couples including persons of migrant descent, has been conducted in France since the 1980s. Researchers currently use the concept 'mixité' (mixedness), which suggests that the process is a question not only of culture, but also of social group and gender. By calling the couples 'mixed' our aim is to study these questions in all their multi-faceted dimensions. These couples are 'mixed' not because they are bi-cultural, but because their choice challenges marital norms and group memberships. Against the backdrop of considerations on endogamy and homogamy, we present some key ideas brought to light by 91 in-depth, biographical interviews with 57 women and 34 men, conducted in 2007. Because we compared endogamous and mixed couples, it was possible to identify how the different types of couples reach their marital choices and to what extent they are influenced by cultural, gendered or social factors. These factors are both personal (education level, specific conditions of socialisation and peer groups) and structural (urban segregation or overall social discrimination).