The institutional determinants of having a first or second child in East and West Germany

Petra Buhr, University of Bremen
Katharina Maul, University of Bremen
Johannes Huinink, University of Bremen

The institutional conditions in Germany are well known to have a negative impact on reconciling work and family. According to our theoretical framework we assume that institutional constraints are perceived differently in the western and eastern part of Germany resulting in different fertility patterns, namely a one-child-family-pattern in East Germany and a polarization between a childless-pattern and a two-children-family-pattern in West Germany. To validate the hypotheses the new data set of the study PAIRFAM (Panel Analysis of Intimate Relationships and Family Dynamics) will be used which is collected in East and West Germany on a representative basis focusing on three age cohorts (N = 12,000). We do not assume differences for the ideal but for the expected and the realized number of children for East and West Germans. Furthermore we expect differences in the preconditions for parenthood and the reasons respondents report for not having a first or another child.