European Population Conference 2022, Groningen, Hollanda, 29 Haziran - 02 Temmuz 2022
This study aims to contribute to the literature by examining specifically the association between war induced migration and fertility behaviors focusing on women fleeing from Syria to Turkey and natives therein. We use 2018 Turkey Demographic and Health Survey (2018 TDHS) Turkey and Syrian Samples data, adopting a life-course approach. Discrete-time logistic regression models are used, where first, only Syrian refugee women are covered, and second, natives in Turkey are also included. Our dependent variable is (yearly) probability of giving birth since age 12. In models, both time fixed and time varying variables are used. Our explanatory variable is migration dummy variable taking value of “1” if migration takes place from Syria to Turkey in a given year. The models control for (piece-wise) duration as baseline. Our control variables are age (time-varying), marital status (time-varying), number of children ever born in the beginning of the year (time-varying), birth in previous year (time-varying), educational level (time-fixed), country of residence (Syria or Turkey) (time-varying), and mother tongue (time-fixed). Our preliminary findings indicate no disruptive effects of migration on fertility outcomes of women among forced migrants compared to non-migrants, but rather a positive association between migration and fertility. Moreover, period spent in Turkey (as safe haven) is associated with lower odds of giving birth, suggesting an adaptation mechanism after migration.