Delaying Parenthood in East and West Germany: A Mixed-Methods Study of the Onset of Childbirth and the Vocabulary of Motives of Women of the Birth Cohort of 1971

Abstract

In this chapter we analyze the delay in first births among East and West German women born in 1971 on the basis of both qualitative and quantitative data. The data come from the German Life History Study (GLHS), in particular from two nationally representative quantitative surveys conducted in 1996–1998 and 2005, and narrative interviews conducted from 2004 to 2006. Median ages at first marriage and first birth have been increasing in West Germany for more than three decades, and in East Germany since 1991. The 1971 birth cohort is of particular interest because it is the first cohort for whom the family formation process took place within a reunified Germany. When we look at the onset of childbirth, we find that the West German part of the cohort represents a continuation of the delaying trend, while the East German part of the cohort has seen a dramatic increase in the previously low age at first birth. Our qualitative material documents widely differing parenthood motives and behavioral patterns between East and West German women. According to West German women, West German men avoid or delay making family commitments, thus complicating the maternal aspirations of West German women, who, in addition, face problematic incompatibilities of career and family. In contrast, for both East German women and men, parenthood appears to be a taken for granted even under difficult economic circumstances.