Ethnic Minority–Majority Unions in Estonia: Unions entre membres d’ethnies minoritaires et majoritaires en Estonie

Ethnic Minority–Majority Unions in Estonia: Unions entre membres d’ethnies minoritaires et majoritaires en Estonie

Van Ham, M.
Tammaru, T.

OTB Research Institute for the Built Environment

Urbanism

2011-05-28

Ethnic minority–majority unions—also referred to as mixed ethnic unions—are often seen as the ultimate evidence of the integration of ethnic minorities into their host societies. We investigated minority–majority unions in Estonia, where ethnic minorities account for one-third of the total population (Russians 26%, followed by Ukrainians, Byelorussians, Finns and other smaller groups). Using data from the 2000 Estonian census and regression models, we found that Slavic women are less likely to be in minority–majority unions than are members of other minority groups, with Russians being the least likely. Finns, who are culturally most similar to the Estonian majority population, are the most likely to form a union with an Estonian. For ethnic minority women, the likelihood of being in minority–majority unions is highest in rural areas and increases over generations, with third-generation immigrants being the most likely. Estonian women are most likely to have a minority partner when they or their parents were born abroad and when they live in urban areas. Our findings suggest that both the opportunity to meet potential partners and openness to other ethnic groups are important factors for understanding the dynamics of minority–majority unions.

Ethnicity
Country of birth
Generation
Minority–majority unions
Mixed ethnic unions
Estonia

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:a70a1a19-e0bc-4399-8249-a92d8bd6d010

Springer Verlag

0168-6577

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10680-011-9236-z

European Journal of Population/Revue européenne de Démographie, 27 (3), 2011

Institutional Repository

journal article

(c) 2011 Van Ham, M.
Tammaru, T.