Entry into parenthood and completed fertility of Second Generation Immigrants in France

In France, the second generation population represents a significant share of the polity population, and those whose parents come from Southern Europe and North Africa are now above 40 years old, which allows to analyze their fertility pattern, and especially completed fertility. This study analyzes to what extent children of immigrants, who have been socialized in France where the 2-child norm is very strong, reproduce their parents’ fertility behavior, or that of the native population. Using the Trajectories and Origins Survey (Insee, Ined, 2008), we observe that North African second generation postpone childbearing, especially men. But finally in average they have the same number of children. This average hides 3 kinds of behaviors i) Those who adopt the 2-child norm ii) Those who do not have any child, mainly because of social vulnerability and iii) Those who have 3 children, who are in between their parents’ model and the French model.