Denmark: Immigrants/Danes have same number of children

Denmark: Immigrants/Danes have same number of children

See also: Danish women have more children

Immigrant families in Denmark have adapted to a typical Danish family pattern, and now have as few children as a traditional Danish nuclear family

Today there's almost no difference in the number of births between Danes and immigrants, according to a report by Statistics Denmark, published by Berlingske Tidende.

While women in child-bearing age from non-Western countries had 3.04 children on average in Danish hospitals in 1998, the number fell last year to 1.94 children on average.  In comparison, women from ethnic Danish families gave birth to an average 1.91 children in 2008, which is a small baby boom.

Garbi Schmidt, senior researcher at the Danish National Center for Social Research says that immigrant families are resembling Danish families more and more.  Some will always prioritize a big family, she says, but their studies show that minority and majority families are getting closer.  Immigrant families are assuming Danish norms, because they and Danish families meet each other on a day to day basis, go to school together, and share the workplace.

Garbi Shchmidt says that there's talk of a quiet integration, and if it also means that immigrant women have a more outgoing life than they would have had otherwise, the families will also have more economic resources.

Source: DR (Danish)

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