The children of immigrants in France: The emergence of a second generaton with the collaboration of Esin Gezer Special Series on Children in Immigrant Families in Affluent Societies

International audienceSince the mid - 1970s, immigration for family reunification has been more important than labour fo rce immigration. Most residence permits are granted because of family relationships. The immigrant population has been ageing. More than half the Italian immigrants are over 65. While second - generation Italians and Spaniards represent nearly half all immig rants 18 and over, they have been largely overtaken in the 0 – 17 age group by second - generation Algerians, Moroccans, Portuguese and sub - Saharan Africans. Of the last group, 21 per cent are under 25 years of age. Immigrants who arrived in France less than 1 0 years ago are more highly qualified than previous immigrants. Educational attainment among the children of immigrants is generally higher than that of their parents, though the differences are sharp across immigrant groups. Difficulties in French among c hildren of immigrants are frequently and unfairly equated with intellectual shortcomings or a limited potential for academic success . Young adults of immigrant origin are more likely to be outside the educational system and not be economically active. The ability of children of immigrants to enter the labour market is affected by their social origin, their limited personal networks and the discrimination they face. The employment status and occupations of their parents appear to have an impact on the choice of occupations among the children of immigrants despite the advances achieved in education by the children relative to the parents. The persistence of institutions in drawing attention to the alleged disadvantages and social and cultural specificities of the victims of discrimination serves to maintain the confusion between the logic of inclusion and the logic of the fight against discrimination