The childbearing of immigrants who arrived as children: Understanding the role of age at arrival for women and men

It is well known that childbearing is associated with age at migration, but most research has focused on foreign-born women who migrated as adults. Much less is known about immigrants who arrived as children, or male immigrants, despite the importance of studying these groups in order to understand theories of adaptation and assimilation. This study addresses these gaps with a case study of Sweden. It uses longitudinal data for the whole population to analyze the role of age at arrival in determining childbearing. The results suggest that age at arrival has a strong and incremental impact on childbearing, for both women and men, in particular for immigrants from higher fertility origins. This impact is stronger at earlier childbearing ages, and there is little evidence in support of critical ages at arrival. These findings persist after examining sources of selection and reverse causality, including the use of sex-specific family fixed-effects models and separate analyses for specific countries of birth. This case study therefore provides evidence of an underlying process of childhood socialization, followed by adaptation, that is common for women and men who migrate. Theoretical implications are discussed, including the need for further work on determinants and mechanisms of adaptation.