A new perspective on the generational structures of families – Generational placements over the life course

Abstract

With data from the German Ageing Survey (https://www.dza.de/en/research/deas), for men and women of the birth cohorts 1939-43, 1944-48, and 1949-53 (n=2607), the occurrence, timing, and ordering of generational placements defined through the (simultaneous) presence of biological parents, children, and grandchildren up to the age of 60 is examined using sequence and cluster analyses. Cohort, gender, and regional differences are examined with multinomial logistic regressions. Six different typical patterns of individual trajectories were identified, ranging from clusters with multiple transitions early in life to more stable clusters with fewer transitions later on. The most common were three-generation families, while patterns without children were the most uncommon. Across cohorts, generational structures of families changed towards "more stable" trajectories. Clusters characterised by early (grand)parenthood were more likely experienced by women and individuals growing up in former East Germany. The presented patterns of individual trajectories reveal novel detailed insights into how the opportunity structures for intergenerational family support differ between individuals and develop across individual age and socio-historical context.