Poverty and Overcrowding among Immigrant Children in an Emerging Destination: Evidence from Finland

Abstract

This paper aims to analyze the patterns of poverty and housing overcrowding among immigrant children in Finland. We seek to explore whether and to what degree foreign-born children are disadvantaged relative to native children in terms of income poverty and overcrowded housing. Another main objective is to study the pattern of immigrant child poverty and overcrowding in the first years of settlement. We distinguish between four different types of poverty trajectories in the first five years after arrival in Finland: 1) no experience of poverty; 2) poor in up to two out of five years following arrival (mostly non-poor); 3) poor in three or four out of five years following arrival (mostly poor); and 4) poor in all five years (chronic poverty). An analogous classification is applied when looking at housing overcrowding. We use data from a compilation of Finnish registers, which contain annual information on all individuals who resided in Finland at any point between 1995 and 2014. The results of a series of logistic regressions shows that the relative disadvantage of immigrant children relative to native children is more pronounced in terms of income poverty than in terms of housing. The most frequent outcome in terms of income poverty in the first years of settlement is no experience of poverty, followed by chronic poverty, i.e., poverty in all five years after arrival. The same patterns are found for overcrowding. The multivariate analyses, based on generalized ordered logistic regressions, show substantial heterogeneity across immigrant groups.

Feeling Poor and Lonely: The Felt Experiences of Low-Income Working Lone Mothers in Finland

“…We can take a closer look at gender and class, but other intersecting differences might be hidden from us. For example, age or body size is somewhat present in the writings but not discussed much and we know that ethnic diversity is becoming more common in Finland and—based on statistics—immigrant children are at risk of poverty in Finland, which implies that immigrant mothers are more likely to be poor (Obućina & Ilmakunnas, 2020). To be able to participate in our study, these mothers needed to be able to understand and write in either Finnish or English.…”

Ulkomaalaistaustaiset lapset ja nuoret lastensuojelun sijaishuollossa: sijoitusten määrän, perusteen ja sijoituspaikan tarkastelu vuosina 1991-2015

“…Taloudellinen eriarvoisuus on kasvanut Suomessa, ja etenkin lapsiperheiden ja yksinhuoltajien taloudellinen asema on suhteellisesti heikentynyt (Hiilamo 2009;Salmi 2020). Lapsiperheköyhyys on merkittävästi yleisempää ulkomaalaistaustaisissa perheissä kuin suomalaistaustaisilla (Obućina & Ilmakunnas 2020). Kansallisen 1987-syntymäkohorttitutkimuksen mukaan keskeisimpiä sijoituksia ennustavia tekijöitä ovat vanhempien kouluttamattomuus, äidin mielenterveyden ongelmat, äidin yksinhuoltajuus lapsen syntymän hetkellä ja perheen taloudelliset vaikeudet (Kestilä ym.…”

Are universal measures sufficient in reducing child poverty in the Nordic countries? An analysis of policies and political commitments

“…The economic poverty among Nordic children and adolescents is most prominent among the children of single parents, the children of unemployed parents, the children of low-educated parents and the children of parents with an immigrant background [17,25,26], which indicates a clear risk that the social gradient may not only be maintained, but even steepened. There is therefore a need to explore the social and political measures in the Nordic countries that may moderate the consequences of economic poverty in childhood and thereby improve the life chances of children at rOP.…”