Immigrant–native fertility differentials: The Afghans in Iran

Abstract

International migration is increasingly important in shaping national population dynamics, both directly through adding or subtracting people, and indirectly, through the fertility of immigrants. International migrants rarely share the fertility characteristics of either origin or destination populations. However, the relationship between migration and fertility is little understood, especially that relating to refugee populations. This study examined the fertility differentials of one of the world’s largest refugee populations, the Afghans in Iran, in relation to the host population. Based on multivariate analysis, the study demonstrated that Afghan immigrants were moving from a high fertility regime to a low fertility regime. The findings suggest that fertility change among Afghans is associated with their adaptation to Iranian society. The role of education in mediating immigrant–native fertility differentials was also uncovered.

Family planning and Afghan refugee women and men living in Melbourne, Australia: new opportunities and transcultural tensions

“…Afghan women and men have indicated that they are actively embracing new opportunities available within Australia, and making informed, autonomous decisions about family size that contrast with norms of Afghanistan; a finding consistent with prior migrant research in Iran (Abbasi-Shavazi et al 2015). However, this study has presented new insights into challenges and transcultural tensions that also influence decisions to have fewer children.…”

“…While migration is a significant life event that can profoundly impact sexual and reproductive health (Ellawela et al 2017), there is a paucity of research that has considered the ways that rapid social and cultural change influences family planning in refugee and migrant populations. The limited research in this area has found that some cultural groups, such as Somali and Afghan migrants, have experienced a reduction in family size following resettlement in countries with lower fertility rates (Abbasi-Shavazi et al 2015;Dengi, Koivusilta, and Ojanlatva 2006). Additionally, several studies have highlighted shifts in knowledge, attitudes and behaviours by undertaking intergenerational comparisons (Dean et al 2017;Rogers and Earnest 2014).…”

“…Such factors include low levels of contraceptive uptake in Afghanistan (Population Reference Bureau 2013); traditional patriarchal social structures (Povey 2007); widespread religiosity (Tober, Taghdisi, and Jalali 2006); low levels of formal education (Rasooly et al 2015); extended exposure to political unrest (Huber, Saeedi, and Samadi 2010); and the refugee journey. There is a small body of research investigating the sexual and reproductive health of Afghan migrants and refugees within Afghanistan's neighbouring countries, such as Iran (Abbasi-Shavazi et al 2015;Tober, Taghdisi, and Jalali 2006). There is, however, a paucity of research exploring how family planning is valued and negotiated by Afghan people in Western contexts.…”

Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Afghan Migration to Europe From Iran

“…Large-scale forced migration from Afghanistan to Iran began with first the Marxist coup d'état in Kabul in 1978, followed by the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. Approximately three million Afghan refugees had arrived in Iran by 1989 (Abbasi-Shavazi et al, 2015). In the 1990s, a new wave of Afghan refugees began arriving primarily to escape the rule of the Taliban, some of whom returned after the fall of the Taliban in 2001.…”

Immigrant Fertility in Comparative Perspective: South Africa and the United States

“…Although migration and fertility are examined in low-and middle-income countries, these analyses focus on domestic migrants (e.g., Chattopadhyay et al 2006;Hervitz 1985;Liang et al 2014;Rokicki et al 2014;Werwath 2011); the impact of remittances upon origin community fertility (Anwar and Mughal 2016); the ways that male outmigration shapes fertility in source communities (Agadjanian et al 2011;Clifford 2009;White and Potter 2013); and the diffusion of fertility ideation into sending societies (Lerch 2015;Bertoli and Marchetta 2015;Beine et al 2013;White and Buckley 2011). While a small number of recent studies begin to address fertility and migration between low-and middle-income countries (e.g., Abbasi-Shavazi et al 2015), questions regarding immigrant childbearing in South-South migrations relative to South-North migrations remain unanswered.…”