Intergenerational Integration Processes of Minority Ethnic Groups in the UK: Reproductive Choices and Education

Sylvie Dubuc, University of Oxford
Lorraine Waller, University of Oxford

Following WWII immigration, the fertility of immigrants’ children increasingly shapes the ethnic diversity of the European population, although, little is known about their fertility. This paper provides novel fertility estimates for immigrant and second generation women in the UK, of interest for population projections' informed fertility assumptions. How migration-specific tempo effects impact on period-TFRs of immigrants is analysed. Results reveal intergenerational fertility transitions that strongly contribute to the fertility convergence between ethnic groups, particularly marked for populations originated from high fertility countries. Convergence is partly due to decreasing fertility in sending countries and partly indicating degrees of fertility ‘assimilation’ or ‘intergenerational adaptation’ to the UK-mainstream childbearing behaviour, although ethnic differences remain. Results show that educational/structural factors are major determinants of ethnic fertility differentials and intergenerational changes. However, other factors play independently of educational attainment, suggesting a ‘socialisation’ impact of the UK societal context in shaping fertility of the second generation.