Volume 36 - Article 41 | Pages 1209–1254  

Childbearing among first- and second-generation Russians in Estonia against the background of the sending and host countries

By Allan Puur, Leen Rahnu, Liili Abuladze, Luule Sakkeus, Sergei Zakharov

This article is part of the Special Collection 23 „Childbearing among the Descendants of Immigrants in Europe“

Abstract

Background: An expanding literature documents the childbearing patterns of migrants and their descendants in contemporary Europe. The existing evidence pertains mainly to the northern, western, and southern regions of the continent, while less is known about the fertility of migrants who have moved between the countries of Eastern Europe.

Objective: The aim of this study is to examine the fertility patterns of first- and second-generation Russians in Estonia, relative to the sending and host populations.

Methods: The study draws on the Estonian and Russian Generations and Gender Surveys. Proportional hazards models are estimated for the transitions to first, second, and third births.

Results: Russian migrants in Estonia exhibit greater similarity to the sending population, with a lower propensity for having a second and third birth than the host population. This pattern extends to the descendants of migrants. However, mixed Estonian-Russian parentage, enrolment in Estonian-language schools, and residence among the host population are associated with the convergence of Russians’ childbearing behaviour with the host-country patterns. The findings support the cultural maintenance and adaptation perspectives; selectivity was found to be less important.

Contribution: The study focuses on a previously under-researched context and underscores the importance of contextual factors in shaping migrants’ fertility patterns. It raises the possibility that, depending on the childbearing trends and levels among the sending and receiving populations, large-scale migration may reduce rather than increase aggregate fertility in the host country. With the advancement of the fertility transition in sending countries, this situation may become more common in Europe in the future.

Author’s Affiliation

• Allan Puur - Tallinna Ülikool, Estonia EMAIL
• Leen Rahnu - Tallinna Ülikool, Estonia EMAIL
• Liili Abuladze - Tallinna Ülikool, Estonia EMAIL
• Luule Sakkeus - Tallinna Ülikool, Estonia EMAIL
• Sergei Zakharov - National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE), Russian Federation EMAIL

Other articles by the same author/authors in Demographic Research

The formation of ethnically mixed partnerships in Estonia: A stalling trend from a two-sided perspective
Volume 38 - Article 38

Partnership dynamics among migrants and their descendants in Estonia
Volume 32 - Article 56

Varying association between education and second births in Europe: Comparative analysis based on the EU-SILC data
Volume 31 - Article 27

Co-ethnic marriage versus intermarriage among immigrants and their descendants: A comparison across seven European countries using event-history analysis
Volume 39 - Article 17

Jobs, careers, and becoming a parent under state socialist and market conditions: Evidence from Estonia 1971-2006
Volume 30 - Article 64

Intergenerational family constellations in contemporary Europe: Evidence from the Generations and Gender Survey
Volume 25 - Article 4

First union formation in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania: patterns across countries and gender
Volume 17 - Article 10

Longevity of World War II Estonian volunteers in the Finnish Army: A follow-up study of the impact of the post-war life course and repressions
Volume 43 - Article 39

Socioeconomic and cultural differentials in mortality in a late 19th century urban setting: A linked records study from Tartu, Estonia, 1897-1900
Volume 36 - Article 1

Effects of education on second births before and after societal transition: Evidence from the Estonian GGS
Volume 22 - Article 28

Reconciling studies of men’s gender attitudes and fertility: Response to Westoff and Higgins
Volume 22 - Article 8

Men's childbearing desires and views of the male role in Europe at the dawn of the 21st century
Volume 19 - Article 56

Russian Federation: From the first to second demographic transition
Volume 19 - Article 24

Most recent similar articles in Demographic Research

Periods of high uncertainty: How fertility intentions in Russia changed during 2022–2023
Volume 52 - Article 29    | Keywords: machine learning, narratives of the future, reproductive intentions, Russia, sample survey, socio-economic shocks

Religion and contraceptive use in Kazakhstan: A study of mediating mechanisms
Volume 50 - Article 21    | Keywords: contraceptive use, Generations and Gender Programme (GGP), Kazakhstan, mediation, religion, religiosity

War and mobility: Using Yandex web searches to characterize intentions to leave Russia after its invasion of Ukraine
Volume 50 - Article 8    | Keywords: Brain drain, migration, Russia, search trends, Ukraine, Yandex

Ethnic and regional inequalities in Russian military fatalities in Ukraine: Preliminary findings from crowdsourced data
Volume 48 - Article 31    | Keywords: armed conflict, fatality, military, mortality, Russia, Ukraine, war

Better to ask online when it concerns intimate relationships? Survey mode differences in the assessment of relationship quality
Volume 48 - Article 22    | Keywords: data collection, Generations and Gender Programme (GGP), interviews, intimate relationship, quality of a statistical survey, relationships, research methods, survey data