Back in 2002, the government ushered in the 24-year law: a reform of the immigration system that prohibits family reunification if one of the individuals is under the age of 24.
Decades later, researchers from the Rockwool Foundation have found that the law has had a significant effect on the age of minority women when they get married and have children.
The report showed that 7-8 percent of all women from non-EU countries aged 18-32 got married in Denmark in 2000.
That figure dropped to about 3 percent in 2018 – which is even lower than the average for ethnic Danish women.
More marrying a Madsen
In 2000 almost 5 percent of the same 18-32 age group had their first child. That figure had declined to about 3.5 percent by 2018.
Meanwhile, the figure for ethnic Danish women has remained above 4 percent.
The report also revealed that young immigrant women are increasingly marrying Danes.
“How much this rise can be attributed to the reform is more unsure,” the report found.
“The share of young immigrant women marrying someone with a Danish background, or who was born in Denmark, was already increasing to some extent before the reform.”
