The Turkish Second Generation in Europe: Family Life Trajectories and Independence in the Transition to Adulthood

Helga A. G. de Valk, Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI) and Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Nicola Barban, University of Groningen

In this paper we study the timing and sequencing of major events in the transition to adulthood of second generation Turks and majority group young adults in Europe. First, this study adds to the literature by questioning what paths (order of events) are predominant by applying sequence analyses. We study the timing of four major events namely leaving the parental home, unmarried cohabitation, marriage, and having a first child and link them to transitions in the public domain (education and work). Second, we study the diversity in trajectories both between the Turkish second generation and majority group young adults as well as between the different European countries. Finally, we analyse the factors explaining different paths into adulthood among the studied groups in the different countries. Our analyses are based on survey data from “The integration of the second generation” (TIES, 2007) for France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland.