Research project Influences of origin and destination on migrant fertility

Context includes both social and cultural norms surrounding parenthood and the policy measures that facilitate or inhibit particular fertility patterns. To clarify the role of context in childbearing dynamics, we generate both within-country and across-country comparisons. First we focus on Sweden, a country with relatively high fertility, sustained immigration, and generous supports for combining parenthood and work, and high quality data. We focus on immigrants from low fertility countries where couples often fall short of their ideal family size, and ask whether Sweden’s family-friendly welfare state provides such immigrants opportunities to realize their childbearing intentions. Second, we compare immigrants from the same origin countries in different destination countries in Europe, and with those who remained in their origin country (non-migrants).
 
Such comparisons take simultaneously into account contexts of origin and destination, and also allow us to identify the role of immigrant selectivity. In our project, we study immigrant integration through the lens of family demographic change. The project contributes to strengthen Swedish demographic research in the realms of fertility in general and the fertility behavior of migrants and their demographic integration in particular.