Using data from 43 Mexican communities I investigate the association between labor migration to the U.S. and men's marriage in Western Mexico. Results support perspectives that link the transition to marriage to men's socioeconomic position and local marriage market characteristics. At the individual level international migration is a disruptive event that deters union formation while the migrant is residing abroad. However, after returning to his home community, the remittances and savings accumulated by Mexican migrants facilitate the purchase of housing, businesses, and land, and as such help provide the necessary capital to start a family. Migration experience is also associated with a higher likelihood of marriage over and above its effect on wealth accumulation, suggesting it represents other forms of capital, human and financial, that facilitate family formation. At the aggregate level, the prevalence of international migration affects the sex ratio of a community, resulting in an oversupply of women that discourages men from marrying. The analysis highlights the importance of international migration as an economic strategy available to men in Western Mexico to achieve their family goals.

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empirical research major clinical study prediction immigrant socioeconomics Mexico Article marriage United States human adult family migration