Skip to main content

Interrelationships of Forced Migration, Fertility and Reproductive Health

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Demography of Refugee and Forced Migration

Part of the book series: International Studies in Population ((ISIP,volume 13))

Abstract

The chapter reviews research on forced migration and fertility, identifies problems and challenges in this research and present suggestions for future research avenues and priorities. It starts with a critical examination of the definitional ambiguities that hamper and constrain research on forced migration and fertility, then outlines the current state of the field, and offers suggestions on how the field could be advanced by critically incorporating theoretical paradigms and models applied in studies of the association between voluntary migration and childbearing and accounting for both the changing nature of forced migration and the changing global fertility landscape. It concludes with a discussion of possible directions for research in the area of forced migrants’ reproductive behaviour and health.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Abbasi-Shavazi, M. J., Hugo, G., Sadeghi, R., & Mahmoudian, H. (2015). Immigrant–native fertility differentials: The Afghans in Iran. Asian and Pacific Migration Journal, 24(3), 273–297.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Afifi, T., & Jäger, J. (Eds.). (2010). Environment, forced migration and social vulnerability. Heidelberg and New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Agadjanian, V. (1998). Trapped on the margins: Social characteristics, economic conditions, and reproductive behaviour of internally displaced women in urban Mozambique. Journal of Refugee Studies, 11(3), 284–303.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Agadjanian, V., & Prata, N. (2002). War, peace, and fertility in Angola. Demography, 39(2), 215–231.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Agadjanian, V., Yabiku, S. T., & Cau, B. (2011). Men’s migration and women’s fertility in rural Mozambique. Demography, 48(3), 1029–1048.

    Google Scholar 

  • Andersson, G. (2004). Childbearing after migration: Fertility patterns of foreign-born women in Sweden. International Migration Review, 38(2), 747–774.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ascoly, N., Van Halsema, I., & Keysers, L. (2001). Refugee women, pregnancy, and reproductive health care in the Netherlands. Journal of Refugee Studies, 14(4), 371–393.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Avogo, W., & Agadjanian, V. (2008). Childbearing in crisis: War, migration and fertility in Angola. Journal of Biosocial Science, 40(5), 725–742.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beine, M., & Parsons, C. (2015). Climatic factors as determinants of international migration. The Scandinavian Journal of Economics, 117(2), 723–767.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Black, B. O., Bouanchaud, P. A., Bignall, J. K., Simpson, E., & Gupta, M. (2014). Reproductive health during conflict. The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist, 16(3), 153–160.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blanc, A. K. (2004). The role of conflict in the rapid fertility decline in Eritrea and prospect for the future. Studies in Family Planning, 35(4), 236–245.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Castles, S. (2002). Migration and community formation under conditions of globalization. International Migration Review, 36(4), 1143–1168.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ceballos, M., & Palloni, A. (2010). Maternal and infant health of Mexican immigrants in the USA: The effects of acculturation, duration, and selective return migration. Ethnicity & Health, 15(4), 377–396.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chattopadhyay, A., White, M. J., & Debpuur, C. (2006). Migrant fertility in Ghana: Selection versus adaptation and disruption as causal mechanisms. Population Studies, 60(2), 189–203.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Choi, K. H. (2014). Fertility in the context of Mexican migration to the. United States: A case for incorporating the pre- migration fertility of immigrants. Demographic Research, 30, 703–738. Article 24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clifford, D., Falkingham, J., & Hinde, A. (2010). Through civil war, food crisis and drought: Trends in fertility and nuptiality in post-Soviet Tajikistan. European Journal of Population, 26(3), 325–350.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Farber, S. C., & Lee, B. S. (1984). Fertility adaptation of rural-to-urban migrant women: A method of estimation applied to Korean women. Demography, 21(3), 339–345.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fargues, P. (2000). Protracted national conflict and fertility change: Palestinians and Israelis in the twentieth century. Population and Development Review, 26(3), 441–482.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Forced Migration Review. (2011). The Technology Issue, 38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frank, R., & Heuveline, P. (2005). A crossover in Mexican and Mexican-American fertility rates: Evidence and explanations for an emerging paradox. Demographic Research, 12(4), 77–104.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gagnon, A. J., Merry, L., & Robinson, C. (2000). A systematic review of refugee women’s reproductive health. Refuge, 21(1), 6–17.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goldstein, S. (1973). Interrelations between migration and fertility in Thailand. Demography, 10(2), 225–241.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goldstein, S., & Goldstein, A. (1981). The impact of migration on fertility: An ‘own children’ analysis for Thailand. Population Studies, 35(2), 265–284.

    Google Scholar 

  • Halle-Ekane, G. E., Akwa, J. C., Sama, D., Obinchemti, T. E., et al. (2016). Knowledge, attitudes, and practice of contraception among refugees in a refugee settlement in Yaoundé, Cameroon. International Journal of Tropical Disease & Health, 13(1), 1–10.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hawkins, S. S., Lamb, K., Cole, T. J., & Law, C. (2008). Influence of moving to the UK on maternal health behaviours: Prospective cohort study. British Medical Journal, 336(7652), 1052–1055.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hein, J. (1993). Refugees, immigrant, and the state. Annual Review of Sociology, 19, 43–59.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hervitz, H. M. (1985). Selectivity, adaptation, or disruption? A comparison of alternative hypotheses on the effects of migration on fertility: The case of Brazil. International Migration Review, 19(2), 293–317.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, K. (2004). War, humanitarian crisis, population displacement and fertility: A review of evidence. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hynes, M., Sheik, M., Wilson, H. G., & Spiegel, P. (2002). Reproductive health indicators and outcomes among refugees and internally displaced persons in postemergency phase camps. Journal of American Medical Association, 288(5), 595–603.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holck, S. E., & Cates, W., Jr. (1982). Fertility and population dynamics in two Kampuchean refugee camps. Studies in Family Planning, 13(4), 118–124.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ibisomi, L., Williams, J., Collinson, M. A., & Tollman, S. (2014). The stall in fertility decline in rural northeast South Africa: The contribution of a self-settled Mozambican refugee sub- population. African Population Studies, 28, (1) Supplement on Population Issues in South Africa: 590–600.

    Google Scholar 

  • Indra, D. (1998). Engendering forced migration: Theory and practice. Berghahn: New York/Oxford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jensen, E. R., & Ahlburg, D. A. (2004). Why does migration decrease fertility? Evidence from the Philipines. Population Studies, 58(2), 219–231.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kahn, J. R. (1988). Immigrant selectivity and fertility adaptation in the United States. Social Forces, 67(1), 108–128.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kattegoda, S., Samuel, K., & Emmanuel, S. (2008). Reproductive health concerns in six conflict-affected areas of Sri Lanka. Reproductive Health Matters, 16(31), 75–82.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Khlat, M., Deeb, M., & Courbage, Y. (1997). Fertility levels and differentials in Beirut during wartime: An indirect estimation based on maternity registers. Population Studies, 51(1), 85–92.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kulu, H. (2005). Migration and fertility competing hypothesis re-examined. European Journal of Population, 21(1), 51–87.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laurie, M., & Petchesky, R. P. (2008). Gender, health, and human rights in sites of political exclusion. Global Public Health, 3(suppl 1), 25–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, B. S., & Pol, L. G. (1993). The influence of rural-urban migration on migrants’ fertility in Korea, Mexico and Cameroon. Population Research and Policy Review, 12(1), 3–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lindstrom, D. P., & Berhanu, B. (1999). The impact of war, famine and economic decline on marital fertility in Ethiopia. Demography, 36(2), 247–261.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lindstrom, D. P., & Giorguli Saucedo, S. (2002). The short- and long-term effects of U.S. migration experience on Mexican women's fertility. Social Forces, 80(4), 1341–1368.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Markides, K. S., & Coreil, J. (1986). The health of Hispanics in the southwestern United States: An epidemiologic paradox. Public Health Report, 101(3), 253–265.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marmot, M. G., Adelstein, A. M., & Bulusu, L. (1984). Lessons from the study of immigrant mortality. Lancet, 1(8392), 1455–1457.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matthews, J., & Ritsema, S. (2004). Addressing the reproductive health needs of conflict- affected young people. Forced Migration Review, 19, 6–8.

    Google Scholar 

  • McGinn, T. (2000). Reproductive health of war-affected populations: What do we know? International Family Planning Perspectives, 26(4), 174–180.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McGinn, T., Austin, J., Anfinson, K., Amsalu, R., et al. (2011). Family planning in conflict: Results of cross-sectional baseline surveys in three African countries. Conflict and Health, 5(11), 1–8.

    Google Scholar 

  • McNab, S., & Atieno, I. (2010). Responding to IDP reproductive health needs. Forced Migration Review, 35, 54–55.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nikitović, V., & Lukić, V. (2009). Could refugees have a significant impact on the future demographic change of Serbia? International Migration, 48(1), 106–128.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nolin, C. (2006). Transnational ruptures: Gender and forced migration. Hampshire, England: Ashgate Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Okalawon, K., Reeves, M., & Agbaje, O. F. (2010). Contraceptive use: Knowledge, perceptions and attitudes of refugee youths in Oru refugee camp, Nigeria. African Journal of Reproductive Health, 14(4), 16–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Raheel, H., Karim, M. S., Saleem, S., & Bharwani, S. (2012). Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of contraception among Afghan refugee women in Pakistan: A cross-sectional study. PLoS One, 7(11), e48760.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Randall, S. (2005). The demographic consequences of conflict, exile and repatriation: A case study of Malian Tuareg. European Journal of Population, 21(1), 291–320.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ribe, H., & Schultz, T. P. (1980). Migrant and native fertility in Colombia in 1973: Are migrants selected according to their reproductive preferences. New Haven: Yale University, Economic Growth Center.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rokicki, S., Montana, L., & Fink, G. (2014). Impact of migration on fertility and abortion: Evidence form the household and welfare study of Accra. Demography, 51(6), 2229–2254.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rumbaut, R. G., & Weeks, J. R. (1986). Fertility and adaptation: Indochinese refugees in the United States. International Migration Review, 20(2), 428–466.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rumbaut, R. G., & Weeks, J. R. (1996). Unraveling a public health enigma: Why do immigrants experience superior perinatal health outcomes? Research in the Sociology of Health Care, 13, 335–388.

    Google Scholar 

  • Urquia, M. L., Frank, J. W., Moineddin, R., & Glazier, R. H. (2010). Immigrants’ duration of residence and adverse birth outcomes: A population-based study. International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 117(5), 591–601.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Urquia, M. L., O’Campo, P. J., & Heaman, M. I. (2012). Revisiting the immigrant paradox in reproductive health: The role of duration of residence and ethnicity. Social Science & Medicine, 74(10), 1610–1621.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Verwimp, P., & Van Bavel, J. (2005). Child survival and fertility of refugees in Rwanda. European Journal of Population, 21(1), 271–290.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Von Roenne, A., Kollie, S., Swaray, Y., Sondorp, R., & Brochert, M. (2010). Reproductive health services for refugees by refugees: An example from Guinea. Disasters, 34(1), 16–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williams, J., Ibisomi, L., Sartorius, B., Kahn, K., Collinson, M., Tollman, S., & Garenne, M.. (2013). Convergence in fertility of South Africans and Mozambicans in rural South Africa, 1993–2009. Global Health Action, 6. http://dx.doi.org/ https://doi.org/10.3402/gha.v6i0.19236

  • Winter, J. M. (1992). War, family, and fertility in twentieth-century Europe. In J. R. Gillis & T. A. D. Levine (Eds.), The European experience of declining fertility 1850–1970: The quite revolution (pp. 291–309). Cambridge MA: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zarate, A., & Unger de Zarate, A. (1975). On the reconciliation of research findings of migrant-nonmigrant fertility differentials in urban areas. International Migration Review, 9(2), 115–156.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Victor Agadjanian .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Agadjanian, V. (2018). Interrelationships of Forced Migration, Fertility and Reproductive Health. In: Hugo, G., Abbasi-Shavazi, M., Kraly, E. (eds) Demography of Refugee and Forced Migration. International Studies in Population, vol 13. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-67147-5_6

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-67147-5_6

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-67145-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-67147-5

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics