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Success(ion): Second-Generation Iranian Americans

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2022

Mehdi Bozorgmehr  and
Daniel Douglas
Mehdi Bozorgmehr
Affiliation:
City College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York, Middle East and Middle Eastern American Center at the Graduate Center, City University of New York
Daniel Douglas
Affiliation:
Graduate Center, City University of New York
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Abstract

More than a generation has passed since the substantial immigration of Iranians to the United States in the late 1970s, resulting in a sizable second-generation population (defined by convention as persons born in the United States and those who immigrated under the age of thirteen). This article presents a first look at the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the second generation at the national level, and compares them with those of the first generation (Iran- or foreign-born population). It uses the 2005–07 merged data set compiled by the United States Census in the American Community Survey (ACS). The results indicate a preliminary continuation of economic and educational success from the first- to the second-generation Iranians. Moreover, this achievement has become more balanced across gender lines in the second generation. Specifically, in terms of educational attainment and labor force participation, females have quickly closed the gap with their male counterparts. Because the second generation is still young, it is premature to assess the extent of intergenerational mobility among Iranians. But given this generation's initial achievements, one can only expect an upward trajectory.

Type
Research Article
Information
Iranian Studies , Volume 44 , Issue 1 , January 2011 , pp. 3 - 24
Copyright
Copyright © 2011 The International Society for Iranian Studies

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Footnotes

An earlier version of this article was presented at “The Iranian Revolution: Thirty Years Later” conference, Rutgers University, 7–8 February 2009. The research for this article was supported, in part, by grants from the Doctoral Program in Sociology at the Graduate Center, City University of New York and Professional Staff Congress of the City University of New York. The authors are grateful to an anonymous reviewer for his/her excellent comments on earlier drafts of this article, as well as to the Editor and Associate Editor of Iranian Studies for their highly efficient handling of the review process. We also thank Anny Bakalian and Danielle Zach-Kalbacher for their comments.

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