Immigrant fertility in West Germany: Is there a socialization effect in transitions to second and third births?

Abstract

Immigrant fertility in West Germany: Is there a socialization effect in transitions to second and third births?Fécondité des immigrées en Allemagne de l'Ouest: existe-t-il un effet de la socialization dans le passage du premier au deuxieme enfant et dans celui du deuxieme au troisieme enfant? Nadja Milewski Abstract In this paper on immigrant fertility in West Germany, we estimate the transition rates to second and third births, using intensity-regression models. The data come from the German Socio-Economic Panel Study. We distinguish women of the first and the second immigrant generations originating from Turkey, the former Yugoslavia, Greece, Italy, and Spain, and compare their fertility levels to those of West German women. In the theoretical framework, we discuss competing hypotheses on migrant fertility. The findings support mainly the socialization hypothesis: the transition rates of first-generation immigrants vary by country of origin, and the fertility patterns of migrant descendants resemble more closely those of West Germans than those of the first immigrant generation. In addition, the analyses show that fertility differentials between immigrants and women of the indigenous population can largely, though not in full, be explained by compositional differences.Keywords Birth transitions Á Life-course analysis Á Migrant workers Á Germany Á Intensity-regression model Résumé Dans cet article relatif à la fécondité des immigrées en Allemagne, le passage du premier au deuxieme enfant et dans celui du deuxieme au troisieme enfant est estimé à partir de modèles de régression à risques instantanés. Les données utilisées proviennent de l'étude de Panel socio-économique allemand. On distingue les femmes immigrées de première ou de seconde génération originaires de Turquie, d'ex-Yougoslavie, de Grèce, d'Italie et d'Espagne, et leurs niveaux de fécondité sont comparés à ceux des femmes ouest-allemandes d'origine. Des hypothèses concurrentes sur la fécondité des immigrés sont discutées dans le cadre

Union formation and dissolution among immigrants and their descendants in the United Kingdom

“…Some second-generation immigrants may grow up under the influences of the mainstream society and are thus socialised into the norms and behaviours of the native population. By contrast, others may grow up under the influences of a minority subculture (assuming that such a subculture exists) and thus exhibit family preferences and behaviour that differ from those of the native population (Katus, Puur, and Sakkeus 2002;Bernhardt, Goldscheider, and Goldscheider 2007;Milewski 2010;Goldscheider, Goldscheider, and Bernhardt 2011).…”

Life Paths of Migrants: A Sequence Analysis of Polish Migrants’ Family Life Trajectories

“…Following this line of reasoning, migrants would continue the union and fertility patterns of the country of origin where they were socialized, also when settling in a host society with different patterns. Several studies in Western Europe (Andersson & Scott 2005, Milewski 2010) and the U.S. (Massey 1981) In contrast, the adaption hypothesis emphasizes the importance of the destination after the migration move, rather than the environment during childhood. This hypothesis states that migrants adjust their family behavior according to the economic and cultural environment of the destination country.…”

Why does fertility remain high among certain UK-born ethnic minority women?

“…There has also been a growing interest in family and fertility dynamics among immigrants and ethnic minorities (Berrington 1994;Coleman 1994). While the childbearing dynamics of immigrants have received considerable attention (Andersson 2004;Andersson and Scott 2007;Milewski 2010;Mussino and Strozza 2012;Sobotka 2008;Tromans, Natamba, and Jefferies 2009), only a few studies have examined the fertility patterns of the descendants of immigrants. In the UK, these studies show that the fertility levels of the descendants of immigrants from high-fertility countries are usually lower than those of their parents, but for some ethnic groups, e.g., Bangladeshi and Pakistani, fertility remains relatively high (Coleman and Dubuc 2010;Sobotka 2008).…”