Converging mothers' employment trajectories between East and West Germany? A focus on the 2008-childcare-reform

Bibliographic Data

ID2287465
AuthorsFauser (0000-0002-9992-2659, Department of Social Sciences Humboldt‐Universität zu Berlin Berlin Germany, corresponding author), Emanuela Struffolino (0000-0002-6635-8748, Department of Social and Political Sciences University of Milan Milan Italy), Asaf Levanon (0000-0003-2190-1281, Department of Sociology University of Haifa Haifa Israel)
Year2025
Volume87
Issue2
Pages566-589
Publication date2025-04-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Marriage and the Family (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-2445 • E-ISSN: 1741-3737
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/jomf.13040
OpenAlexW4403607517
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited71

ObjectiveAiming to generate evidence on how contextual conditions shape individuals' opportunities and constraints and, ultimately, life courses, we focus on a period of childcare expansion in reunified Germany. We investigate differences in employment trajectories around mothers' first childbirths to identify potential East-West convergence.BackgroundDuring Germany's division (1949-1990), universal public childcare and female full-time employment were the norm in East Germany, while the male breadwinner model was dominant in the West. These differences, although declining, persisted even decades after reunification. In 2008, a reform aimed at expanding childcare availability to facilitate mothers' employment throughout the country.MethodsWe measure East-West differences in employment trajectories around childbirth pre- (1990-2007) and post-reform (2008-2021) in terms of timing, order, and duration of events over time. We use data on 359 East and 986 West German first-time-mothers from the German Socio-Economic Panel and sequence analysis tools.ResultsBefore the reform, employment trajectories between East and West German mothers differed both in timing and duration of employment states. After the reform, these differences decreased, showing a general convergence in the prevalence of post-birth part-time employment. Nonetheless, longer maternity leave is still more prevalent among West German mothers, while East German mothers are more likely to maintain full-time jobs.ConclusionOur findings show how policy settings and reforms shape life courses in a context-dependent fashion. They illustrate the importance of a methodological approach that focuses on process outcomes and supports a theoretical perspective that highlights how historical time and place shape life courses

Demographic economics · Economic growth · Economics · Focus (optics · Labour economics · Political science · Employment and Welfare Studies · Psychology · Social and Demographic Issues in Germany · Social Policy and Reform Studies

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