Inheriting the Homeland? The Influence of Parental Origin-Country Fertility on Ideal Family Size and the Timing of Birth(s) Among the Children of Immigrants in France

Abstract

While fertility behaviors are converging among the children of immigrants in Western Europe, existing literature has paid little attention to whether their fertility ideals are still diverse and linked to their parental origin-country fertility. This paper develops a country-of-origin perspective to investigate whether parental origin-country fertility continues to be associated with childbirth attitudes and behaviors among the children of immigrants. The analysis draws on data on the ideal family size and the timing of birth(s) among the children of immigrants in France (Trajectories and Origins survey, TeO), which I link to data on parental origin-country fertility. Findings show that the origin-country fertility is associated with the ideal family size of the children of immigrants; however, they do not shape their timing of childbirth(s). Children of immigrants whose parents come from countries with higher fertility ideals aspire to larger ideal family sizes but do not have children earlier than those whose parents come from countries with lower fertility ideals. Consistent with previous studies, these findings suggest that the timing of births is converging among children of immigrants. However, their fertility ideals are still diverged and strongly influenced by their parental origin-country fertility.