Happily Ever After: Immigration, Natives’ Marriage, and Fertility

Abstract

We study the effects of immigration on natives’ marriage, fertility, and family formation across US cities between 1910 and 1930 using a shift-share design. We find that natives living in cities that received more immigrants were more likely to marry, have kids, and leave the parental house earlier. Our evidence suggests that the positive impact of immigration on native men’s employment, which increased the supply of native “marriageable men”, contributed to generate these patterns. Instead, alternative channels – changes in sex ratios, natives’ cultural reactions, and economic competition for native women – are unlikely to, alone, explain our results.

JEL Classification: J12, J13, J61, N32