Assimilation, Transnationalism, and the Fertility Behavior of Sub-Saharan African Migrants in France: Examining the Theories of Migrant Fertility

Patience A. Afulani, University of California, Los Angeles

This study draws from the migrant incorporation literature to examine the mechanisms (adaptation, socialization and disruption) underlying the fertility behavior of sub-Saharan African migrants (SSAMs). Data are from the “Trajectoire et Origines” survey conducted in France in 2008/2009, based on a nationally representative sample of individuals 18 to 60 years living in all regions of Metropolitan France. The analysis, using bivariate and Poisson regressions, shows that first generation SSAMs have higher fertility than second generation SSAMs and non-immigrants, though first and second generation SSAMs have similar fertility ideals. Measures of assimilation are negatively associated with fertility behavior, except for length of stay; while transnationalism is positively associated with fertility ideals but not actual fertility. The results show some evidence of socialization, but are more supportive of adaptation and to some extent disruption. Origin socialization appears to have a stronger influence on ideals than actual fertility.