Date of Award:

12-2008

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Sociology and Anthropology

Department name when degree awarded

Sociology

Committee Chair(s)

Michael B. Toney

Committee

Michael B. Toney

Committee

E. Helen Berry

Committee

Kelly Hardwick

Abstract

This study analyzes the influence of 1) inter-religious marriage and 2) differing levels of church attendance within a married couple on migration behavior. The study draws from previous research on inter-racial marriage for a framework to examine whether there is reason to expect a relationship between migration and inter-religious marriage. We hypothesize that the propensity for migration is higher for inter-religious couples than for couples constituted by individuals of the same religion and for couples who attend church at different frequencies. To examine the hypotheses, this study uses age, education, and length of residence as controls in logistic models.

Theories that have been utilized in examining the effects of inter-group marriages, especially inter-racial marriages, on the behavior of couples provide theoretical guidance for the analysis. Largely, this research, as well as research on other differences between husbands and wives, indicates that inter-group married couples have higher migration rates than intra-groups couples. Data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth in 1979 are used to analyze the relationships between these aspects of religious identities and migration and between church attendance and migration. Results actually show slightly lower migration odds for inter-group couples than for intra-group couples. Thus, our hypothesis is rejected.

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