HOUSEHOLD TRANSITIONS IN THE MIGRATIONS OF DOMINICANS AND COLOMBIANS TO NEW-YORK

Using life history survey data, we examined the correlates of change in the composition of Dominican and Colombian immigrant co-residential households at three points in time-prior to migration, just after migration and at three time of the survey. We found that there is considerable heterogeneity in the patterns of household transitions, although the majority of both Dominican and Colombian households at the time of the survey were nuclear family households. Dominican women tended to have made transitions into single-parent households by the time of the survey. Background and migration characteristics influence the pattern of household transitions, but fail to explain the ethnic and gender differences.