Parental involvement in partner choice: The case of Turks and Moroccans in the Netherlands

Abstract

This study describes and explains parental involvement in partner choice among Turkish and Moroccan immigrants in the Netherlands. It thus contributes to previous research on third-party influence on partner choice. The study provides quantitative findings on the actual extent of parental involvement in partner choice among immigrant groups compared with the native population in the Netherlands. Analysis of the data, which are from the large-scale Netherlands Longitudinal Life-Course Study, shows that parental involvement is modest among Turkish and Moroccan immigrants, but relatively high when compared with the levels of parental involvement found among the native Dutch. Furthermore, analyses reveal variation in parental involvement within the Turkish and Moroccan groups. Parental involvement is greater among children with lower-educated parents. But this effect is counteracted by a child's higher educational attainment and a later age on formalizing the union. Potential implications of parental involvement for endogamous partner choice are discussed.