Together or apart? Spousal migration and reunification practices of recent refugees to Germany

Abstract

This study examines migration and reunification processes among recent male and female refugees from Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria in Germany. Specifically, we analyse different types of spousal migration practices (joint arrival versus arriving alone) and the probability of reunification with the left-behind partner after one year of geographic separation, and to what extent this is shaped by socio-economic conditions, children, family networks, and the legal situation of married men and women. Using data from the first and second wave of the IAB-BAMF-SOEP Survey of Refugees, collected in 2016 and 2017 in Germany, and applying logistic regression models, we disentangle the heterogeneity of refugees' migration processes. The results show that couples with minor children are more likely to migrate together compared to childless couples or those with adult children only, and that men and women's solo migration is associated with the presence of other family members at the destination country. The probability of reunifying with the left-behind partner after one year of separation mainly depends, again, on family networks, with differential effects for men and women. Furthermore, male first-movers' legal status in Germany is important for a quick reunification with their wives. Our research shows that forced migration in the here studied geographic context is a gendered process and that several characteristics of male migration do not apply to women. Furthermore, conventional explanations for economically motivated migration decisions and patterns must be adapted to the case of forced migration.