Intergenerational transmission of fertility timing in Germany

Abstract

BACKGROUND Intergenerational transmission of completed fertility is widely confirmed for several societies. Less research, however, has focused on differences in the transmission effect of fertility timing and its underlying mechanisms in a regional context. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to examine the association between a mother's age at her daughter's birth and that daughter's transition to first birth in eastern and western Germany, as well as its underlying mechanisms. METHODS Using data from the German Family Panel (pairfam), the intergenerational transmission of fertility timing between mothers and daughters born between 1971-1973 and 1981-1983 is investigated using event history analysis. As an alternative to a mother's age at first birth, a mother's age at her daughter's birth is used to determine her daughter's transition to first birth. RESULTS Results show evidence for intergenerational transmission of young childbearing between mothers and their daughters in eastern and western Germany, though the association was weaker for eastern Germany. This intergenerational transmission effect cannot be explained by the measures used to capture the underlying mechanisms - socialisation, socioeconomic status transmission, and social control. CONTRIBUTION Our contribution to the ongoing discussion is to close a gap in research on the intergenerational transmission of fertility timing. By using the German context to analyse regional differences, we exemplify the varying strength of the intergenerational transmission of fertility timing between eastern and western Germany that persisted beyond reunification.