Conference Agenda

The fact that Canada's Indigenous peoples preceded the arrival of the Europeans by thousands of years is often lost in the “saga” of French-British settlement. The study aims at filling this gap by taking advantage of the newly released 100% count for 1901-census.

Specifically, the use of complete-count microdata enables us to identify the full range of enumerator-to-respondent interactions inscribed across different census questions, notably the relationship to the head of the household and ethnic origin. Our main research question is: what are the characteristics and determinants of household and family structures among ethnic groups in Western-Canada in 1901?

Adopting a comparative perspective, the analysis focuses on three population-flows: i) Indigenous-peoples, being regionally relocated from their native land through treaty-making; ii) Canadian-born immigrants from Eastern-Canada; iii) International-European immigrants, coming in search for gold and, later for farming opportunities.

Results reveal how these flows reconfigured household and family structures to an extent that remained unknown to date. Findings reflect the pace of immigration and Indigenous displacement across Canada and help deepening our understanding of differences in family dynamics by ethnic origin in contemporary societies.

The study explores the impact of origin-based discrimination on mental health among immigrants and their descendants in France, addressing a significant gap in the literature. Drawing on data from the "Trajectories and Origins 2" (TeO2) survey, conducted by INSEE and INED, the analysis examines self-reported depression symptoms in relation to three key independent variables: origin-based discrimination, being target of racist insults, and affiliation with a discriminated group. Logistic regression models are applied to assess the association between these discrimination measures and depression symptoms across different groups based on gender, migrant generation, and age. Results indicate a strong relationship between origin-based discrimination and increased odds of reporting depression, particularly among women. The analysis also reveals that experiencing racist insults and being part of a discriminated group increase the likelihood of reporting depression symptoms, across both generations. Socioeconomic factors such as employment, education, and family structure also play a role in shaping mental health outcomes. These findings confirm the hypothesis that both personal and group-based discrimination are associated with adverse mental health effects. By focusing on the French context, this study provides crucial evidence on the mental health inequalities faced by immigrants, complementing existing research from other European nations and the U.S.

Refugees have lower levels of mental health respect to other migrants and the host country population. After arrival in the destination country, refugees' mental health can be negatively affected by problems occurring in their everyday lives, such as discrimination and legal and financial worries. This study aims to investigate pre-arrival and post-arrival characteristics. We focus on refugees in Germany, considering data from 2016/2017, 2018 and 2020. We want to address two research questions: 1) Which pre-arrival characteristics influence the initial mental health of the refugees at the first interview? 2) Which changes in everyday life affect the mental health of the refugees over the first five years in Germany? We used data from the German IAB-BAMF-SOEP Survey of Refugees, started in 2016. We assessed the mental health status through the Mental Component Score (MCS) derived from the SF-12 questionnaire. Our pre-arrival analysis shows that the refugees' mental health is affected by the conditions in the origin country and the trauma during the journey to Germany. In the longitudinal analysis, the MCS is influenced by changes in satisfaction with the work and living situation, the worrying about life in Germany, and the possibility of returning to the origin country.

Sweden has seen a rapid increase in immigration. This demographic shift coincides with transformations in the Swedish labour market towards greater flexibility, resulting in increased instability for workers. These changes have particularly impacted migrant populations, who are often overrepresented in instable, non-standard employment arrangements. Nevertheless, a notable research gap remains regarding how employment instability affects migrant fertility. For future employment and family policies to better support and cater for the growing migrant population, it is important to understand how employment instability influences their childbearing decisions.

The aim of this study is to investigate whether employment instability has a differential effect on the fertility of Swedish-born individuals, migrants, and their descendants. Using event-history analysis on Swedish population register data, I analyse the effect of different (un)employment trajectories among native Swedes, different migrant origin groups, and their descendants on first birth, for men and women.

The negative effect of employment and income uncertainty has been found to be weaker or, in some cases, reversed for migrants, despite migrants experiencing heightened vulnerabilities on the labour market. Therefore, I expect to find varying effects of employment instability for migrants and natives, and that this will depend on migrant origin, reason for migration and gender.

In this research note, we explore the relationship between migration and lifespan for individuals born between 1850 and 1890 who migrated to the U.S from anywhere in the world. Using micro-level genealogical data from Familinx, our study compares the lifespans of migrants to those of the U.S.-born population, the non-migrant population in their countries of origin, and their non-migrant siblings. We employ sibling fixed effect models to investigate whether migrants enjoy survival advantages compared to their non-migrant siblings, considering that health and mortality are often clustered in families due to shared environments, behaviors, resources, and household dynamics. We also examine differences in the migrant mortality nexus across the main migrant groups of the time. Consistent with previous studies, we find a negative healthy migrant effect compared to U.S.-born individuals and a positive migrant effect compared to the origin populations and non-migrant siblings. Country-specific analysis reveals cross-country differences in these effects. The general negative effect compared to the U.S. population is predominantly driven by historically disadvantaged groups such as Irish and Eastern European migrants. All groups except the Irish experience a mortality advantage compared to their origin populations and siblings.

Marital choices of immigrants are influenced by individual preferences and contextual factors, with marriage to a native often easing access to the labor market and society. However, marriage may also reflect a desire for integration, rather than its completion. This study focuses on the relationship between marriage and changes in citizenship, particularly how mixed unions—whether between a foreigner and an Italian or between two foreign citizens—relate to integration pathways.

The research analyzes different types of couples, tracking changes in citizenship and family behaviors over time. Using data from Italy's National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT), the study explores trends in marriage, migration, and citizenship acquisition, focusing on the evolving reasons for immigration, such as family reunification and international protection. Initial findings suggest that citizenship acquisition through marriage is particularly common among Eastern European and other non-EU communities, though it has become less significant compared to other citizenship pathways, such as naturalization by residence. Future research will track integration progress through a longitudinal approach, examining how family behaviors of foreign-origin citizens in Italy have evolved.

Literature suggests that migrants are a selected group of the population of the origin country with respect to different dimensions including health, while asylum seekers and refugees are a less selected group. The health status of these specific subgroups of migrants remains under-researched for Italy. However, asylum seekers and refugees may have specific health needs stemming from their pre-migration and travel experiences that warrant further investigation. This contribution aims at filling this gap studying self-related health among asylum seekers and refugees living in Italy and its relationship with the vulnerability. For the analysis we use a unique dataset that collected data on asylum seekers and refugees living in Italy in 2024 for a total sample of 1,327 individuals. Preliminary results confirm the strong and positive relationship between social support networks (family and friends) and health status, while experienced discrimination and age have a negative and significant relationship with self-rated health.

This paper examines the labor market integration of migrants in Europe, focusing on the occupational paths of first- and second-generation migrants in nine countries (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece) in 2014 and 2021. It investigates whether second-generation migrants follow the labor patterns of their first-generation counterparts, considering the roles of education and gender.

In Western Europe, research on migrants’ occupational integration highlights contrasting inclusion patterns. In Mediterranean countries, migrants face fewer employment barriers but are overrepresented in low-skilled jobs, regardless of education. Conversely, in Continental countries, migrants endure a "double penalty," facing disadvantages in both employment and occupational status. The aim of this study is to observe whether these models of occupational inclusion can be identified for second-generation migrants. Using EU-LFS data for 2014 and 2021, this study employs linear probability and regression models, as well Heckman models, to to account for sample selection biases. Preliminary findings indicate that second generations diverge from first-generation patterns, aligning more closely with natives in employment and occupational outcomes. Second generations have higher educational returns than first generations in both models. Gender differences are persistent in employment outcomes, whereas the gender gap is narrower in terms of occupational status.