Females have held a majority in the immigrant population arriving in the United States since about 1930, despite the traditional picture of the lone male pioneer or the immigrant family group. The 1980s and early 1990s saw a reversal of this pattern. This article provides information on the gender ratio of immigrants in recent years and analyzes how elements of U.S. immigration law favor one gender or the other. The number of marriages between U.S. citizens or legal residents and non-citizens is highlighted as the dynamic factor determining the trend and proportion of male and female immigrants.
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