Post-Migration Fertility in Southern Europe: Romanian and Moroccan women in Italy and Spain

Abstract

This paper seeks to analyse migrant women’s reproductive behaviour in two countries with the lowest fertility rates, namely, Italy and Spain. We assess differences in migrant fertility patterns according to country of origin by comparing the post-migration motherhood of Moroccan and Romanian women. We have used data from the “2007 National Immigrant Survey” (INE) and the ”2011-2012 Survey on Social Integration and Condition among Foreign Citizens” (ISTAT) to adopt an event-history approach to the factors that affect the birth of the first child after migration. Specifically, we focus on marital status upon arrival and on the number of previous children, controlling in turn for the women’s socioeconomic circumstances. The results show, firstly, that Moroccan women have a higher fertility rate than Romanians in both countries. Secondly, the risk of the first birth shortly after migration is higher among childless and married women, and this probability remain high even for women from Morocco with children. Thirdly a cross-country comparison reveals that the results related to childbearing patterns are similar.

Is the Combination of the Nationalities of the Couple Affecting Women’s Fertility Intentions? Insights from Italy

“…This contrast between findings raises intriguing questions regarding the extent to which these explanations remain solid and valid when studying different origins and destinations, being FIs strongly related to the specificities of migratory projects and their conjunction and diversity in host countries. Thus, our results are clearly pointing out to the presence of gradients in the explanatory power of the adaptation hypothesis to differences in FIs across groups of women under observation, further supporting the idea of the presence of fertility differentials according to the heterogeneity of the characteristics of both the head and the migratory project (Impicciatore et al, 2020;Carella et al, 2021). In our analysis, the explanatory power of the adaptation theory to FIs of foreign women partnered to Italian men did change -as expected-but, somewhat surprisingly, this change was not large enough to cause the shift of the theory from adaptation to socialization.…”

“…FIs of foreign women partnered to Italian men will resemble those of foreign women partnered to foreign men if socialization holds; or, instead, will resemble those of Italian women partnered to Italian men, finding support for adaptation. Finally, as migrants' fertility is shaped by different norms or migratory projects (Impicciatore et al, 2020;Mussino et al, 2021;Alderotti and Trappolini, 2021;Carella et al, 2021;García-Pereiro and Paterno, 2022), we also hypothesize changes on the explanatory levels of Socialization vs Adaptation to FIs across different migrant origins of women partnered to Italian men.…”

“…The dependent variable of multivariate analyses identifies respondents' certain intentions to have a child within the next three years coded as: "certainly yes" vs "probably yes", "probably not", and "certainly not". We estimate binary logistic regression models considering independent variables already identified by the literature as important individual determinants of FIs (Carlsson, 2018;Puur et al, 2018, Carella et al, 2021Liversage, 2021;Mussino et al, 2021) together with couple-related characteristics (Gabrielli and Paterno, 2015;Guetto and Azzolini, 2015;Vitali and Fraboni, 2020) 8 . Our main variable of interest combines the nationality of the woman with the one of her partner distinguishing among foreign woman partnered to Italian man (mixed couple), Italian woman partnered to Italian man (endogamous native couple) and foreign woman partnered to foreign man (endogamous foreign couple).…”

“…More specifically, our analyses unravel and quantify the influence of the selection, socialization and adaptation hypotheses in positive and certain FIs of women in mixed (foreign woman-Italian man) and endogamous couples (Italian woman-Italian man, foreign woman-foreign man). Finally, as differences also emerge when dealing with different origins (Impicciatore et al, 2020;Mussino et al, 2021;Carella et al, 2021;García-Pereiro and Paterno, 2022), we also disaggregate information in wider groups of nationalities to search for differences in FIs.…”

Modelling geographical variations in fertility and population density of Italian and foreign populations at the local scale: a spatial Durbin approach for Italy (2002–2018)

“…Indeed, Rotella et al (2021) demonstrated that, in some countries observed in their study, the links between density and fertility were attenuated by key moderator variables such as religiousness and social norms. In accordance with these findings, we can assume that where population densities of foreigners are higher, cultural values and religious traditions could be stronger and more decisive in orienting reproductive behaviours, especially during the immediate post-settlement period in the host territory (Carella et al 2021;Mussino et al 2015;Mussino and Strozza 2012). Furthermore, the strength of ties and cultural norms is even more relevant among foreigners who intentionally opt for concentrated settlement patterns to ensure mutual support and to be cohesive in addressing the challenges produced by the environment and the host society.…”