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Fertility in the context of Mexican migration to the United States

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  • Kate Choi

    (University of Western Ontario)

Abstract

Background: Mexican-American fertility is poorly understood because data limitations prevent researchers from accurately estimating the fertility levels of members of this group and from determining how their fertility changes within and across generations. Objective: Using binational data and an innovative methodological addressing key methodological limitations, I (1) estimate the fertility of Mexican Americans, (2) describe how selective Mexican migration to the United States is in terms of fertility, (3) document how Mexican-American fertility changes within and across generations, and (4) assess how educational selectivity and assimilation contribute to levels of fertility and fertility changes within and across generations. Results: My findings show that migration from Mexico to the United States is positively selective with respect to fertility. Among the migrants studied, there was a disruption in fertility in anticipation of migration, but a resumption of pre-migration fertility patterns and partial compensation for the earlier fertility loss after migration. Fertility levels among Mexican-Americans appear to be decreasing within and across generations, as immigrants deviate from their pre-migration fertility patterns and increasingly adopt those of whites. Nonetheless, Mexican-American fertility has not yet fully converged with white fertility. Educational assimilation explains a considerable portion of this fertility decline within and across generations. Comments: These findings highlight the importance of empirically observing the pre-migration fertility of immigrants.

Suggested Citation

  • Kate Choi, 2014. "Fertility in the context of Mexican migration to the United States," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 30(24), pages 703-738.
    • Handle: RePEc:dem:demres:v:30:y:2014:i:24
    DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2014.30.24
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    Cited by:

    1. Andrés F. Castro Torres & Emilio Parrado, 2022. "Nativity differentials in first births in the United States: Patterns by race and ethnicity," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 46(2), pages 37-64.
    2. Kate Choi & Erin R. Hamilton, 2016. "Understanding patterns of contraceptive use among never married Mexican American women," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 34(40), pages 1129-1160.
    3. Guadalupe Aguilera & Kim Korinek, 2020. "Immigrant Fertility in Comparative Perspective: South Africa and the United States," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 57(1), pages 297-322, February.
    4. Kenneth M. Johnson & Daniel T. Lichter, 2016. "Diverging Demography: Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Contributions to U.S. Population Redistribution and Diversity," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 35(5), pages 705-725, October.
    5. Marianne Tønnessen, 2020. "Declined Total Fertility Rate Among Immigrants and the Role of Newly Arrived Women in Norway," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 36(3), pages 547-573, July.
    6. Nathan Seltzer, 2019. "Beyond the Great Recession: Labor Market Polarization and Ongoing Fertility Decline in the United States," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 56(4), pages 1463-1493, August.
    7. Alicia Adserà & Ana Ferrer, 2014. "Immigrants and Demography: Marriage, Divorce, and Fertility," Working Papers 1401, University of Waterloo, Department of Economics, revised Jan 2014.
    8. Samuel Fishman, 2020. "An extended evaluation of the weathering hypothesis for birthweight," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 43(31), pages 929-968.
    9. Alícia Adserà, 2017. "Education and fertility in the context of rising inequality," Vienna Yearbook of Population Research, Vienna Institute of Demography (VID) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna, vol. 15(1), pages 063-94.
    10. Christian Dustmann & Giovanni Facchini & Cora Signorotto, 2015. "Population, Migration, Ageing and Health: A Survey," Discussion Papers 2015-17, University of Nottingham, GEP.
    11. Serena Pattaro & Laura Vanderbloemen & Jon Minton, 2020. "Visualizing fertility trends for 45 countries using composite lattice plots," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 42(23), pages 689-712.
    12. Marianne Tønnessen & Ben Wilson, 2023. "Visualising Immigrant Fertility -- Profiles of Childbearing and their Implications for Migration Research," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 24(1), pages 23-46, March.
    13. Ginsburg, Carren & Bocquier, Philippe & Béguy, Donatien & Afolabi, Sulaimon & Augusto, Orvalho & Derra, Karim & Herbst, Kobus & Lankoande, Bruno & Odhiambo, Frank & Otiende, Mark & Soura, Abdramane & , 2016. "Healthy or unhealthy migrants? Identifying internal migration effects on mortality in Africa using health and demographic surveillance systems of the INDEPTH network," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 59-73.
    14. Roberto Impicciatore & Giuseppe Gabrielli & Anna Paterno, 2020. "Migrants’ Fertility in Italy: A Comparison Between Origin and Destination," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 36(4), pages 799-825, September.
    15. Alícia Adserà & Ana Ferrer, 2016. "The Fertility of Married Immigrant Women to Canada," International Migration Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(2), pages 475-505, June.
    16. Jonathan Lindström & Eleonora Mussino & Livia Sz. Oláh, 2022. "Childbearing among Polish migrant women and their descendants in Sweden: an origin-destination country approach," Journal of Population Research, Springer, vol. 39(1), pages 133-155, March.
    17. Elisabeth K. Kraus & Amparo González-Ferrer, 2023. "Fertility Differences Between Migrants and Stayers in a Polygamous Context: Evidence from Senegal," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 24(1), pages 137-164, March.
    18. Francesca Decimo, 2021. "The Transnational Making of Population: Migration, Marriage and Fertility Between Morocco and Italy," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 22(1), pages 289-310, March.
    19. Katharina Wolf, 2016. "Marriage Migration Versus Family Reunification: How Does the Marriage and Migration History Affect the Timing of First and Second Childbirth Among Turkish Immigrants in Germany?," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 32(5), pages 731-759, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    birth rate; immigrant families; racial/ethnic differences;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

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