Growing up in an immigrant family: the position of children of immigrants in Italy and the Netherlands

Helga A.G. de Valk, Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Letizia Mencarini, University of Turin

In this paper we study children in immigrant families growing up in the Netherlands and Italy. We question what the main socio-demographic characteristics of immigrant families from different origins are and we compare the family position of children of immigrants in the two countries of settlement. This is done by both comparing the situation of the total group of children of immigrants as well as by focusing on a selection of similar countries of origin in both settlement countries. Finally, we study whether immigrant groups can be gathered in broader categories that are useful to describe the situation in both countries. The analysis is based on Italian census data and the Dutch population registers, including for both countries all children aged 0-17 years. By applying cluster analyses, we will also assess differences and similarities between the different immigrant origins in the two countries of settlements.