"At Least Eight or Ten Children": The Paradox of Post-Resettlement Fertility Among African Refugees in Central Massachusetts

• Other Authors: Sarkis, Marianne (authoraut)
• Format: Others
• Language: English; English
• Published: Florida State University
• Subjects: Ethnology
• Online Access: http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_migr_etd-4614

This study situates African women's fertility at the crossroads of historical trends and current politico-economic realities of gender and migration from developing to developed nations since 1991. It examines fertility as a site of conjuncture between the resettlement process and cultural, educational, and economic constraints. The research demonstrates that post-immigration fertility is dynamic and undergoes constant evaluation and change to accommodate new realities. African women modify their beliefs, practices, and strategies regarding reproduction with increased access to economic, educational, and health opportunities in a host culture. A mixed methods approach guides the design of this study that took place in Central Massachusetts over 11 months. The ethnographic component includes participant observation in a Somali refugee community and in-depth interviews with eleven women from Somalia, Liberia, Ghana, and Zimbabwe. The quantitative approach includes analysis of the Current Population Survey (CPS) 2007 and 2009 March and June Supplements, the American Community Survey (ACS) 2009 3-year Population Estimates, and immigration data from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The ethnography that guides this research took place between November 2008 and September 2009. Unlike previous research that analyzes immigrant fertility in terms of an African/non-African cohort, this study examines African inter-group variances by country of origin, method of immigration and generation. The results point to significant differences in fertility between voluntary and involuntary immigrants, between East and West Africans, and among generations. In all cases, education emerges as a significant predictor of fertility rates, but only up to a certain income level. This study informs the field of anthropological demographics and refugee studies with applications to population and resettlement policies. === A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Anthropology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. === Summer Semester, 2010. === March 26, 2010. === Medical Anthropology, Demographic Anthropology, Fertility, African Refugees, Acculturation, Integration, ESL, Immigrant Fertility, African Immigration === Includes bibliographical references. === Glen Doran, Professor Co-Directing Dissertation; Cheryl Ward, Professor Co-Directing Dissertation; Peter Garretson, Committee Member; Heike Schmidt, Committee Member.