THE FERTILITY OF MIGRANTS BEFORE AND AFTER CROSSING THE BORDER - THE ETHNIC GERMAN POPULATION FROM THE FORMER SOVIET-UNION AS A CASE-STUDY

Empirical data on persons of German ethnic origin migrating to Germany from the former Soviet Union are used to calculate their relative fer tility levels before and after arriving in their new host country. Des pite small numbers in the survey, a suitable method was used to effect ively compare fertility before and after crossing the border with an i ndex measure of national fertility rates. A relatively strong fertilit y decline was observed for German origin migrants (Aussiedler) from th e former Soviet Union during their first years in Germany. More intere sting, we consider, is how and to what extent the change in living con ditions affected reproductive behaviour after arrival in Germany. Surp risingly, the fertility of this former high-fertility population fell to a level much lower than the already low German fertility. The extra ordinarily high fertility levels of certain religious groups within th e former Soviet Union fell even more rapidly after arrival in their ne w home country. The results of the study may shed light on another dev elopment in Germany: that immediately after reunification the total fe rtility rate in the former GDR fell to the extremely low level of abou t 0.6 in 1993 and 1994. The experience of the former East German popul ation is therefore similar to that of German-origin migrants from the former Soviet Union.