Entering adult life for descendants of immigrants: the importance of intergenerational relations

Laure Moguérou, Université Paris Ouest and Institut National d'Études Démographiques (INED)
Christelle Hamel, Institut National d'Études Démographiques (INED)
Emmanuelle Santelli, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)

Qualitative research on descendants of immigrants living in France is extensive and explores various domains of social life (experience of racism, school careers, occupational integration, dating, etc.), but quantitative surveys examining their entry into adult life are rare. Consequently, the various stages towards greater personal freedom that define their acquisition of adult status are less well known, although these are widely covered in the sociological literature on the mainstream population. Based on the analysis of the data from the survey Trajectoires et Origines (TeO) carried out by INED and INSEE in 2008, this communication aims to explore how young descendants of immigrants living in metropolitan France pass through these stages and at what ages. It will examines how individual (education trajectories) and family resources (social backgroung, migration history and relationships within the family) influences how and when descendants of immigrants enter adult life.