ABSTRACT
This chapter explores whether parent child discrepancies are associated with attitudes towards intergroup relationships. Parents counter their children's intergroup relationships by exercising social control. Religiosity and sexual liberalization are included to facilitate the investigation of the role of individual preferences involving the homophily principle, which states that individuals often prefer partners who share certain characteristics and values, in particular with regard to religion. More than 200,000 residents of Brussels have acquired Belgian citizenship in the last two decades, additionally boosted by the liberalization of naturalization conditions. In addition to the aforementioned explanations that relate to the general immigrant population, socio-psychological studies focusing on adolescents have reasoned that teenagers' consideration of intergroup dating is related to religiosity and parental wishes for endogamy in partnerships. Ethnic diversity is closely tied to socio-economic deprivation. Earlier research underlined the relevance of the socio-economic status in the explanation of interethnic contacts.
