FERTILITY PATTERNS IN THE MEXICAN ORIGIN POPULATION

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This research will analyze data from '83 and '86 CPS files, together with data from the 1970 Census Public Use Samples, in order to investigate the relationship between generational status and fertility and between female education and fertility within generational groups in the population of Mexican origin in the United States. Included among the objectives and specific aims of the project are the following: 1) to ascertain the pattern of variation in fertility among Mexican immigrants and the descendants of Mexican immigrants in the United States by generational status in 83-86 and how this pattern has changed since 1970; 2) to estimate the effects on fertility of female education within the generational groups at the two time periods; 3) to examine the patterns of education effects on fertility by generational status, age cohort and time period (1970 vs. 83-86) in order to ascertain whether a "differential opportunity costs" or a "minority group status" perspective provides the better basis for interpreting the education/fertility relationship; and 4) to decompose changes in generation and education effects into parity specific components. The relative growth rate of the Mexican origin population has implications for policy planning in the provision of health and social services. Knowledge about the bases of growth of this increasingly important population requires the study of the population's fertility patterns. The proposed research--in its focus on the 1983 and 1986 CPS files (the only recent sources of national data that allow Mexican origin fertility to be examined in terms of a three-generational breakdown)--will contribute to an increase in knowledge about patterns of fertility adaptation among Mexican immigrants, as well as to an increase in knowledge about the manner in which female education affects fertility within generational groups.