The relationship between the ethnic composition of neighbourhood and fertility behaviours among immigrant wives in Taiwan

ABSTRACT This study focused on the effects of the neighbourhood on the fertility outcomes among marriage immigrant wives in Taiwan. In particular, we investigated the effects of the proportion of marriage immigrants in the neighbourhood and ethnic composition of the neighbours on fertility behaviours of foreign wives. The study further explored whether and to what extent commercialised cross-border marriages moderate the relationships. Micro-data from the 2013 Living Demand of Foreign and Mainland Spouses and administrative data for 21 cities and counties were utilised in this study. We found that immigrant wives in an area with a higher proportion of marriage immigrants were likely to have higher fertility and shorter intervals between births. Immigrant wives who married through a broker were likely to have lower fertility if they were living in a neighbourhood with a higher proportion of marriage immigrants. The proportion of immigrants from Mainland China in the neighbourhood was negatively associated with fertility among immigrant wives from Mainland China.