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Reproduction at the Margins: Migration and Legitimacy in the New Europe

Author

Listed:
  • Caroline H. Bledsoe

    (Northwestern University)

Abstract
One of the most compelling demographic questions in contemporary Europe has been whether immigrant populations will bring their youthful age pyramids to help support Europe’s subfertile, aging populations. But how do immigrants envision their own reproductive life trajectories across vast, ambiguous political boundaries whose seismic shifts can threaten their security? This paper reviews some recent literature from demography, anthropology, and the media as well as several case studies to suggest that for immigrant families at the political margins of Europe, especially those from developing countries, the most pressing fertility question is not numbers of children. It is instead the legitimacy that children may provide in their families’ efforts to gain work, social security, and rights to settle. This implies that the reproductive practices adopted by immigrants in Europe may derive less from traditions in their home countries than from efforts to adapt to new rules of “belonging” in Europe. Indeed, what seem very striking in the light of conspicuously low and increasingly non-marital fertility in mainstream Western Europe are the increasing demands placed on immigrants to pursue legitimacy in their reproductive lives. The paper concludes that levels of fertility among immigrants are unlikely to assimilate to the national norms until people’s status becomes more secure. Finally, just as we can no longer rest on conventional notions of reproductive practices in the developing world, it is increasingly impossible to draw general conclusions about fertility in Europe without keeping the developing world in view.

Suggested Citation

  • Caroline H. Bledsoe, 2004. "Reproduction at the Margins: Migration and Legitimacy in the New Europe," Demographic Research Special Collections, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 3(4), pages 87-116.
    • Handle: RePEc:dem:drspec:v:3:y:2004:i:4
    DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2004.S3.4
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. van de Kaa, Dirk J., 1993. "European migration at the end of history," European Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 1(1), pages 87-108, January.
    2. Johan Surkyn & Ron Lesthaeghe, 2004. "Value Orientations and the Second Demographic Transition (SDT) in Northern, Western and Southern Europe: An Update," Demographic Research Special Collections, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 3(3), pages 45-86.
    3. Gunnar Andersson & Kirk Scott, 2004. "Labour-market attachment and entry into parenthood: The experience of immigrant women in Sweden," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2004-011, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    4. Larry Bumpass & R. Raley & James Sweet, 1995. "The changing character of stepfamilies: implications of cohabitation and nonmarital childbearing," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 32(3), pages 425-436, August.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Elisabeth K. Kraus & Amparo González-Ferrer, 2023. "Fertility Differences Between Migrants and Stayers in a Polygamous Context: Evidence from Senegal," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 24(1), pages 137-164, March.
    2. Wanli Nie, 2020. "The effect of spousal separation and reunification on fertility: Chinese internal and international migration," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 43(29), pages 851-888.
    3. Cris Beauchemin & Marine Haddad & Mamady Cisse & Christelle Nagnonhou & Lucas Ondicolberry & Andreas Priambodo, 2024. "Politique d’immigration, statut légal et fécondité des migrantes : le cas de Mayotte," Working Papers 297, French Institute for Demographic Studies.
    4. Eleonora Mussino & Salvatore Strozza, 2012. "The fertility of immigrants after arrival: The Italian case," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 26(4), pages 99-130.
    5. Caroline Bledsoe & Papa Sow, 2008. "Family reunification ideals and the practice of transnational reproductive life among Africans in Europe," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2008-001, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    6. Nadja Milewski, 2007. "First child of immigrant workers and their descendants in West Germany," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 17(29), pages 859-896.
    7. Hill Kulu & Nadja Milewski, 2007. "Family change and migration in the life course," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 17(19), pages 567-590.
    8. Caroline H. Bledsoe & René Houle & Papa Sow, 2007. "High fertility Gambians in low fertility Spain," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 16(12), pages 375-412.
    9. Alícia Adserà & Ana Ferrer, 2016. "The Fertility of Married Immigrant Women to Canada," International Migration Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(2), pages 475-505, June.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    fertility; Europe; immigrants; anthropology; marginalization; legitimacy; globalization; agency;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

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