Evidence of Migration Patterns and Marriage Markets from Matrículas Consulares

Over the past summer, migration patterns, labor and marriage markets in Mexico were my main focus; as well as my process to learn data analysis and research techniques with large databases. These databases were used in order to conclude one question: Did men’s migration or lack thereof, after the 2008 recession, affect women’s marriage markets and labor markets in Mexico? The four databases— ENADID, MCAS, Mexican Census, and ACS— enabled us to make a reliable conclusion about Mexican migration. With that information, we could determine where in the United States Mexican migration happens as well as from where in Mexico Mexican migration starts. The MCAS database is conclusively made up of the Matrículas Consulares issued, a document issued by the Mexican government that provides outside countries, such as the US, proof of Mexican nationality. After acknowledging the similarity with the other databases, using MCAS, we could determine whether migration of working age Mexicans decreased or increased after the recession. We compiled maps of Mexico which included data from each source: ENADID, MCAS, etc.; this was done in order to make conclusions about where Mexican migration starts and to determine the highest sending states. We compiled many graphs not included in the presentation, such as average women’s schooling per year, average men’s age per year, and marriages in municipalities based on high/low migration states, to name a few. These graphs were made in order to understand the marriage markets in Mexico, or essentially, how marriages were affected because of the change in migration to the United States. All of the above helped us gather assumptions about women’s marriage markets and labor markets in Mexico, and although I didn’t necessarily get to answer the question because of the many embedded factors, I can’t wait to continue working on the project this coming semester!