Assimilation of Immigrants and Their Adult Children: College Education, Cohabitation, and Work (The New Americans: Recent Immigration and American Society)

Chen studies recent immigrants and their adult children in three domains: college education, union formation, and work. In education, Chen finds that second-generation youth universally achieve higher in high school graduation than their immigrant parents. However, assimilation in terms of college education is lower among some ethnic groups due to social, cultural and structural factors. In family life, Chen finds that being raised in immigrant families protects youth from assimilating into the alternative life style of cohabitation and encourages marriage. In employment, nativity and immigrant statuses are associated with labor market segmentation and economic stratification. Non-naturalized immigrants are concentrated in ethnic enclaves; these workers typically earn lower pay and have less benefits than naturalized immigrants and natives.