Are All Immigrant Families Created Equal? The Acculturation and Social Integration of Mixed-Nativity Families

A large proportion of the children of immigrants are in mixed-nativity families, with one immigrant and one native-born parent. Despite their significant presence, the theoretical and empirical underpinnings for understanding mixed-nativity families’ acculturation and social integration are lacking. Using nationally representative data from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002, we compare the parent-child and family-school relationships of mixed-nativity families—separating those with immigrant mothers from those with immigrant fathers—to those of immigrant-only and native-only families. We find that parent-child relationships in mixed-nativity families are similar to those of native-only families in that they enforce more rules and share fewer family meals. However, families with immigrant mothers—including those with native-born fathers—are less connected to their children’s schools and to other parents. Our results highlight the need to consider mixed-nativity families as distinct from both immigrant-only and native-only families.