Changing Sex-Ratios Among Immigrant Communities in the USA

Adriana Hernández Castañeda and Todd Sorensen
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Adriana Hernández Castañeda: Cornell University

Journal of Economics, Race, and Policy, 2019, vol. 2, issue 1, No 3, 20-42

Abstract: Abstract Marriage patterns of immigrants can serve as an indicator of the degree of immigrant integration into their host countries. Literature on the economics of the household has focused on the role of the sex-ratio as an important determining factor in marriage market outcomes. Therefore, it is important to understand if and how the sex-ratio has changed over time and the mechanisms that may drive that change. In this paper, we explore recent changes in the sex-ratio among immigrants to the USA, focusing on the 24 highest sending countries of immigrants. First, building upon previous research, we document the non-gender-neutral nature of declining immigration to the USA. We approach this study from two different dimensions to document some of the forces driving this change in the sex-ratio. The first approach, focusing on changes between birth cohorts, demonstrates that immigration is declining more quickly for men than it is for women, leading to a decrease in the sex-ratio from above 100 and thus bringing about more gender-balanced migration. Second, we present results from an analysis of data on recently granted green cards, which suggests that the sex-ratio among this population is increasing from below 100, also bringing about more gender balance among immigrants. The period of study allows us to capture changes taking place pre- and post-Great Recession. We find declines in migration for both men and women during the Great Recession, but sharper recovery for women. Additionally, while migration has declined for both men and women in traditional receiving states, the stock of women has increased in non-traditional immigrant-receiving states.

Keywords: Immigration; Sex-ratios; Demographic change (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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Working Paper: Changing Sex-Ratios among Immigrant Communities in the U.S (2018)
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DOI: 10.1007/s41996-018-0025-5

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