Browsing by Subject "union dissolution"

This thesis examines components of an emerging topic: the interplay between immigration background and partnering in the modern Finnish context. It poses the question: how do various computational methods capture the ways that immigrant background status alters (1) the time to first union formation and (2) subsequent first union dissolutions in Finland from 1987-2020? Using longitudinal Finnish register data, the study focuses on all women residents in Finland observed from age 18 onwards during the specified period, categorized by their intergenerational immigration status. The study examines the relationship between immigration status and the two events of interest using the nonparametric Kaplan-Meier survivor function, semiparametric Cox Proportional Hazards model, and parametric survival model fitted with generalized gamma distribution. The strengths, limitations, and findings from each analytic method are compared. The results suggest three main findings: firstly, there is a clear gradient in the risk of first union formation and dissolution across women with different immigrant backgrounds in Finland, with Native Finnish women experiencing the highest risk, followed by 2.5 generation women (women with one Native Finnish parent and one 1st generation immigrant parent), 1st generation immigrant women, and finally 2nd generation women (women with two 1st generation immigrant parents). Secondly, factors including educational attainment, region of origin, rural/urban residence, and partnership homogamy based on region of origin contribute to differences in the risks for both union formation and union dissolution. Finally, despite the unique assumptions and constraints of each method, results remain consistent across all models, indicating that a variety of computational methods can provide robust insights into the complex interplay between immigration and first union dynamics in Finland. In light of the growing immigrant population and the potential influence of their first union dynamics on population change, these findings suggest alignment with segmented assimilation theory, highlighting a non-linear assimilation process influenced by socio-economic status and socio-cultural resources. The observed differences between the 2.5 and 2nd generations raise intriguing questions about the experiences of immigrant children in Finland. The 2nd generation's particularly low risk of first union formation indicates potentially unique acculturation stressors that warrant further investigation.