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Fertility and migration ,
There are common features as well as differences between the fertility of migrant and non-migrant women. Research Report 10, which provides detailed information on the fertility of female migrants, tells you what these are.
Research Report 10 provides a detailed overview of desired fertility and the number of births to female migrants in Germany
7.8 million women with a migration background
Of the 7.8 million women with a migration background, roughly 4.3 million had German and 3.5 million had a foreign nationality in 2009. The proportion of women with a migration background among the total female population is roughly 19 percent. Women with a Turkish migration background account for the largest share, at approx. 1.2 million (15 percent). Another 5 percent of women have a Polish migration background, 4 percent have an Italian migration background and 3 percent have a Russian migration background. 53 percent of women with a migration background are of reproductive age (15 to 49), whereas the figure among women without a migration background is 43 percent.
The differences between German and foreign women are diminishing
The first comparison of a variety of datastocks has made it possible to derive realistic estimates of average numbers of children born to foreign women. The average number of children born to foreign women is thus between 1.6 and 1.7 per woman, whilst German women have roughly 1.3 children each. The gap has closed markedly since the 1970s. The analyses suggest that migrants’ fertility is heavily influenced by converging processes towards German society. One may anticipate that, as their period of residence becomes longer, female migrants do not implement their original desired fertility in Germany to the same degree as they would have in their countries of origin.
Living arrangements and education influence desired fertility
Living arrangements and education exert an equal influence on the fertility of women with and without a migration background. For instance, married women have a higher average number of children than unmarried women, whilst those with a higher qualification have fewer children than women with no vocational qualification. Unmarried, highly-qualified women with no migration background have an average of only 0.6 children per woman, whilst married women with no qualifications achieve much higher numbers of children (1.8 children per woman). These average values are 0.8 and 2.4 children per woman, respectively, among women with a migration background.
The Research Report was drafted by: Dr. Susanne Schmid and Martin Kohls.
This publication is only available in German.