This thesis explores the existence (or not) of structural inequalities and their role in the process of the "successful" integration of immigrant children in Switzerland during the transition to adulthood. Dr Andrés Guarin focuses on three dimensions:
- socioeconomic inequalities
- social-relation inequalities
- sociocultural inequalities
Overall, the results confirm the existence of structural inequalities among the children of immigrants, particularly the children of immigrants with Southeastern European and Turkish origins. The first article confirms the existence of structural inequalities in professional insertion for the children of immigrants from Kosovo. The second article shows that the networks of the children of immigrants are constituted differently according to their parents’ country of birth. Immigrant children with Southeastern European and Turkish origins have networks that prevent successful social integration. This research also focuses on two demographic events to study family formation—the births of the first child and second child, and the first union. They show that the chance of having a second birth is lower for immigrants and their descendants than it is for Swiss natives, and children of immigrants from Eastern European countries experience faster transitions into cohabitation and marriage. In view of the results, with the continuous growth of immigrant children in Swiss society, and with the interest of Swiss society in guaranteeing the integration of all of its components, it is essential to continue to produce studies targeting the children of immigrants and to identify the mechanisms that make it possible to identify the existence of social inequalities.
The LIVES Centre offers a doctoral programme which is aimed primarily at doctoral candidates in the social sciences and psychology who integrate a life-course perspective into their work. This program aims to promote courses that lead to quality doctorates within a reasonable time frame as well as professional integration, particularly in academic careers.