Theory and Empirical Findings in Previous Investigations

Abstract

“The vast body of empirical evidence on the origins, speed, and correlates of fertility declines in different historical and geographical settings shows more diversity than a simple theory of fertility change would predict,” states Hirschmann (1994, p. 203). If one cannot expect a single theory to explain fertility and fertility changes, the picture gets even more complex in the context of international migration because different environments (at origin and destination) and the migration process itself may shape fertility behavior and attitudes not only of the migrants, but also of their relatives. The women and men who leave their region of origin and settle in a different region, i.e., the first generation of migrants, share the experience of the migration process. The migration takes place within the fertile lifespan and/or union-formation ages (or at older ages). The persons directly experience two societies when they move from one country to another, or two living environments in the case of internal migrants.