Turkish, Moroccan, Dutch relationships equally stable

© ANP
Almost three-quarters of Dutch couples with a Turkish or Moroccan background are still together after twelve years, similar to the share among native Dutch couples. This is evident from new figures released by CBS in the Annual Report on Integration 2018.

The study focused on the share of married and unmarried couples who started cohabiting in 2013 but had divorced by the end of 2015. The study revealed that nearly three-quarters of couples with both partners having an either Turkish or Moroccan migration background are still staying together after twelve years. This share is equal among native Dutch couples. The divorce rate is considerably higher among couples with both partners of Surinamese or Antillean descent; after twelve years, around half had separated.

 

Mixed ethnicity relationships less stable

The least stable are mixed couples consisting of a male partner with a Turkish or Moroccan background and a native Dutch female partner. After twelve years, slightly over 40 percent of these relationships are still intact. Although mixed relationships with a woman of Turkish or Moroccan descent and a native Dutch male partner are less prevalent, the divorce rate among this group is lower. The stability of these relationships ranges from 55 percent (Moroccan female partner, Dutch male partner) to 67 percent (Turkish female partner, Dutch male partner).

Marriages between Dutch partners most stable

The number of marriages that are still intact after eight years was studied as well. The findings showed that marriages between two Dutch partners are the most most stable ones: 13 percent had obtained a divorce in the first eight years of marriage. Of the married couples including two Turkish or two Moroccan partners, 19 percent had separated after the same duration of marriage. Marriages between a Moroccan or Turkish male partner and a Dutch female partner are the least stable. After eight years, 44 percent of these marriages had been dissolved.

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