The new families: what happens when Italians meet “new” Italians? Analysis of the familiar and reproductive behaviours of mixed couples in Italy

Marina Attili, Instituto Nazionale di Statistica (ISTAT)
Cinzia Castagnaro, Instituto Nazionale di Statistica (ISTAT)
Giancarlo Gualtieri, Instituto Nazionale di Statistica (ISTAT)
Antonella Guarneri, Instituto Nazionale di Statistica (ISTAT)
Sabrina Prati, Instituto Nazionale di Statistica (ISTAT)

The aim is to study the familiar and reproductive behaviours of mixed couples in Italy, in other words couples composed by Italian and foreign citizens. The idea is to observe the recent trends in order to analyse the evolution of the main characteristics of these couples. One of the most significant new aspects of the last decade is surely the increase in marriages in which one or both spouses are foreigner. A marriage with a foreign citizen represents one of the most important indicators regarding the stabilisation and integration process of the immigrant communities in Italy. In 2008, “mixed” marriages account for the most consistent share of all marriages with at least one foreign spouse (36,918) and even totalled, in 2008, about 24,548 marriages, representing 10.0% of all the marriages. They are an example of the melting pot of cultures and of the non-complete sharing of the traditional values that these unions generate. As regards the mixed couples, the most frequent type is the one in which the husband is Italian and the wife foreigner (18,240). Italian women who chose a foreign partner account for a little (6,308). Data on births allow completing the context of the foreign origin family behaviours. Out of the more than 576 thousand births enlisted in the municipality registers in 2008, few less than 24 thousands children born from mixed couples. Considering these different characteristics and behaviours the analysis is carried out on the main citizenships present in Italy.