Fertility of migrant women in Australia
Yusuf, F.; Eckstein, G.
Journal of Biosocial Science 12(2): 179-190
1980
ISSN/ISBN: 0021-9320 PMID: 7372698 DOI: 10.1017/s0021932080006074Document Number: 445721
The current fertility (1971-1972) of migrant women in Australia is examined to compare the fertility levels and patterns prevalent among migrants from 9 selected countries with those of the Australian born women. Birth registration data were used mainly in the analysis. Among the married women were few differences in fertility regardless of the country of birth. A major exception was the somewhat higher fertility levels among the southern European migrants. Extramarital fertility seemed to vary substantially between different migrant groups: New Zealanders had the highest and the Italians and Greeks had the lowest levels. There were major differences in the proportion of women married among the various migrant groups; again the southern Europeans had highest proportions married. Comparison of the reproductive behavior of migrants with their counterparts in the countries of origin showed that the southern European migrants in Australia had higher fertility rates than those prevalent in their countries of origin.