Family Reunion and Poverty: A Longitudinal Analysis of the Swiss Case

Juan Galeano , Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Centre D'Estudis demogràfics (CED)
Roxane Gerber, University of Geneva

Family migration has gained prominence as a reason for international mobility both in Switzerland and the rest of Western European countries. However, research aimed at evaluating the economic performance of reunited families has been constrained by the unavailability of individual income and/or household composition data. The joint use of population registers and information about social security contributions of the population has allowed us to overcome this limitation and to assess the relation between family reunification and poverty from a longitudinal perspective. Using transition matrixes and a logistic model, we evaluate to what extent family reunification can lead families from different population groups to poverty, as well as the financial performance of these families 5 years after the reunion. Results show in Switzerland family reunion is a male-driven process in Switzerland and that most of reunited families achieve satisfactory living conditions. However, after controlling for a set of socio-demographic characteristics, reunited families headed by a person from outside the EU / EFTA continue to find themselves in a situation of greater exposure to the risk of fall into poverty than those headed by an EU/EFTA or a Swiss national. The results also show the relationship between a poor economic performance and the abandonment of the migration project in Switzerland.

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 Presented in Session 39. Migrant Populations