University of Groningen
The fertility of migrants and their descendants from a life course perspective
Wolf, Katharina
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Publication date: 2018
Link to publication in University of Groningen/UMCG research database
Citation for published version (APA):
Wolf, K. (2018). The fertility of migrants and their descendants from a life course perspective. University of Groningen.
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Propositions
1. The country of origin is not a sufficient indicator to understand differences in fertility across migrant groups. Whenever possible, other dimensions, such as the joint migration history of the couple or the legal status upon arrival should be added (this thesis).
2. To fully understand the selectivity of migration and its implications for migrant fertility, a study set-up based on one comparison group for migrants (the non-migrants in the country of origin or the majority population at destination) will always present a one-sided view (this thesis).
3. The ongoing feminization of migration, with more and more women migrating independently from their husbands, makes it necessary to carefully distinguish male and female migrant fertility patterns (this thesis).
4. The motivation for migration (family reunification, labor migration) is an important determinant of migrants’ fertility behavior. Unfortunately, this is difficult to grasp with survey data. Surveys, if at all, only include retrospective information on the motivation of migration (this thesis).
5. Gaining a full picture of the determinants of the fertility of migrants from one specific country of origin is almost impossible if the analysis is based on only one data source. The data would have to cover non-migrants at origin as well as all the people who emigrated from that country to every possible country of destination, not forgetting those who returned to the country of origin (this thesis).
6. Research about the demographic behavior of migrants may be used as a tool to dispel prejudices and thereby could reduce xenophobia, but it is also always at risk of being instrumentalised for exactly the opposite purpose.
7. „Wir riefen Arbeitskräfte, und es kamen Menschen“ (Max Frisch).
8. Writing a thesis about fertility takes effort, stamina and focus, but not as much as actually giving birth to a child.
