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Childbearing patterns among immigrant women and their daughters in Spain: Over-adaptation or structural constraints

Author

Listed:
  • Amparo González-Ferrer

    (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC))

  • Elisabeth Kraus

    (Universitat Pompeu Fabra)

  • Teresa Castro Martín

    (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC))

  • Tatiana Eremenko

    (Institut National d'Études Démographiques (INED))

Abstract

Background: Spain, a country with one of the lowest fertility levels in the world, has recently received intense immigration flows that may contribute to fertility recovery. Objective: The objective of this study is to examine whether the childbearing behaviour of immigrant women and their descendants shows a pattern of convergence with that of Spanish women born in or after 1950. Methods: After merging data from the Fertility and Values Survey (2006) and the National Immigrants Survey (2007), we analyse the transition to first, second, and third birth using event history models, to identify variations in timing and incidence of birth transitions between native Spanish women and immigrant groups. Results: Previous literature has found that migration disrupts immigrants’ fertility only temporarily; however, in the case of Spain, most migrant women who moved before starting family formation do not seem to fully compensate for migration-related disruption of fertility at a later stage. Our findings challenge the widespread belief that immigrants’ childbearing alone will allow Spain to leave behind the current lowest-low and latest-late fertility scenario. Contribution: This article analyzes for the first time the fertility of different immigrant generations in Spain compared to native women, applying event history techniques. Our findings challenge conventional wisdom that immigration will improve very low fertility levels in Spain.

Suggested Citation

  • Amparo González-Ferrer & Elisabeth Kraus & Teresa Castro Martín & Tatiana Eremenko, 2017. "Childbearing patterns among immigrant women and their daughters in Spain: Over-adaptation or structural constraints," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 37(19), pages 599-634.
  • Handle: RePEc:dem:demres:v:37:y:2017:i:19
    DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2017.37.19
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Miguel Requena, 2022. "Spain’s Persistent Negative Educational Gradient in Fertility," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 38(1), pages 1-13, March.
    2. Teresa Castro-Martín & Rafael Martín-García & Julia Cordero & Marta Seiz, 2021. "¿Cómo mejorar la natalidad en España?," Studies on the Spanish Economy eee2021-04, FEDEA.
    3. 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.
    4. Mar Llorente-Marrón & Montserrat Díaz-Fernández & Paz Méndez-Rodríguez, 2022. "Ranking fertility predictors in Spain: a multicriteria decision approach," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 311(2), pages 771-798, April.
    5. David Reher & Miguel Requena, 2019. "Childlessness in Twentieth-Century Spain: A Cohort Analysis for Women Born 1920–1969," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 35(1), pages 133-160, February.
    6. Isaure Delaporte & Hill Kulu, 2024. "Family Formation and Employment Changes Among Descendants of Immigrants in France: A Multiprocess Analysis," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 40(1), pages 1-77, December.
    7. 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.
    8. Andrés F. Castro Torres & Edith Y. Gutierrez Vazquez, 2020. "Gendered and stratified family formation trajectories in the context of Latin American migration, 1950 to 2000," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2020-027, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    9. 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.
    10. Nazareno Panichella & Stefano Cantalini, 2023. "Is Geographical Mobility Beneficial? The Impact of the South-to-North Internal Migration on Occupational Achievement in Italy," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 42(5), pages 1-22, October.
    11. Panichella, Nazareno & Cantalini, Stefano, 2022. "Geographical Mobility and Occupational Achievement. A Longitudinal Analysis of South-to-North Internal Migration in Italy," SocArXiv sep2x_v1, Center for Open Science.
    12. Jesús García-Gómez & Emilio Parrado, 2023. "Early Childbearing of Immigrant Women and Their Descendants in Spain," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 42(4), pages 1-26, August.
    13. Panichella, Nazareno & Cantalini, Stefano, 2022. "Geographical Mobility and Occupational Achievement. A Longitudinal Analysis of South-to-North Internal Migration in Italy," SocArXiv sep2x, Center for Open Science.
    14. 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.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    fertility; natives; immigrants; descendants of immigrants; Spain;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

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

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