In many cities in Europe and the United States, racial and ethnic minorities have been segregated from majority populations at relatively steady levels for decades. This means that the segregation of older generations is largely reproduced in younger generations. How is this accomplished? What are the demographic and social processes that lead to the persistence of segregation across generations?
This project, funded by the Swedish Research Council, uses Swedish register data to understand how segregation is reproduced over time and across generations. It examines the life courses of the children of immigrants relative to that of their Swedish peers, and aims to understand how processes of class reproduction and family and friend regarding residential choices contribute to segregation. The project also examines related demographic processes of marriage and new household formation, and how these contribute to patterns of segregation. By assessing the relative contributions of demographic and stratification processes to the reproduction of segregation, the project aims to identify key moments during the life course where policy makers can exert influence and improve long-term patterns of residential integration, and mitigate individual exposures to concentrated residential disadvantage.