Family-Forming Migration from Turkey and Morocco to Belgium: The Demand for Marriage Partners from the Countries of Origin

Abstract

This article examines the intensity and trends of marriages of Turks and Moroccans living in Belgium to partners from their countries of origin (‘imported partners’) and the motives for marrying such partners. Using data from the 1991 Belgian census, we show that large proportions of the migrant groups choose a partner from the country of origin and that marrying such a partner is certainly not dying out. Furthermore, the results of logit analyses reveal that marrying an imported partner is more than merely an act of traditional behavior: women may marry an imported partner in order to satisfy ‘modern’ goals.