Mixed-ethnicity marriages and marital dissolution in Israel

This study examines the relation between mixed-ethnicity couples and marital dissolution in Israel, an ethnically stratified immigrant society, including Jews from different continents and Israeli Palestinians. Findings indicate that, when defined broadly, mixed-ethnicity couples have higher divorce risks than endogamous couples. However, comparing mixed and non-mixed couples in terms of specific ethnic categories reveals a more complex picture. Only in a few cases did mixed-ethnicity couples have higher divorce risks than endogamous couples of the respective origin groups. Moreover, some endogamous couples were more prone to divorce than others. We claim that since ethnic categories are socially constructed, it is important to critically examine various categories. In doing so, we can learn about the complex relationship between ethnicity, educational and economic resources, and divorce.