Fertility patterns of Hispanic migrant farm women: testing the effect of assimilation [Wisconsin]

Extract: A 10 percent stratified random sample survey of migrant Hispanic farm women was conducted in 1978 in Wisconsin by bilingual interviewers. Interviews with the women revealed that they have greater numbers of children than other women in the United States. They bear children at younger ages, have greater infant mortality, and use fewer contraceptive techniques. We hypothesize that their fertility behavior is related to age, level of education, and degree of assimilation, the latter measured by bilingualism. Results show that the variable most strongly associated with live births is age; when it is controlled, education is the main predictor. When the effects of both age and education are controlled, bilingual capacity also contributes to explaining births. Education, on the other hand, explains most of the variance in expected number of children. We conclude that high fertility patterns are likely to continue among migrant farm women until level of education improves for the children, thus increasing their bilingual capacity and improving their occupational opportunities