Is Early Partnership Formation Instrumental for Fertility in Germany
Influences of Fertility Orientations on Partnership Transitions
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2428890 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Okka Zimmermann (0000-0002-1719-1777, Technische Universität Braunschweig, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 46 |
| Publication date | 2021-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Comparative Population Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1869-8980 • E-ISSN: 1869-8999 |
| Publisher | German Federal Institute for Population Research (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.12765/cpos-2021-01 |
| OpenAlex | W3135430979 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 54 |
Using panel data from childless respondents of the German Family Panel (pairfam, n=3,802 respondents), this paper investigates whether fertility orientations (biographical orientations with respect to fertility) influence the risk of different partnership transitions among German men and women over the age of 18 (for n=14,572 observation periods between two panel waves). Significant influences are found for both gender and partnership transition types, and are generally stronger among men than women and for the transition to a coresidential as opposed to a romantic partnership. Uncertainty about anticipated fertility has a stronger negative impact on transition risks among men than among women. Results strongly suggest that the early stages of the partnership formation process are instrumental in terms of future fertility in Germany, at least to some degree. This indicates that a more comprehensive conceptualisation and analysis of fertility within the life course paradigm (as suggested by Huinink/Kohli 2014) should consider the impacts of fertility orientations on life course events in other dimensions, especially among men. Viewed more broadly, the results also underline two factors: the role of agency in coordinating life course dimensions in time and space in order to maximise individual welfare; and the importance of considering the impacts that anticipation of future life course events will have, as suggested by different theoretical approaches
Agency (philosophy · Anticipation (artificial intelligence · Demographic economics · Economics · Fertility · General partnership · Geography · German · Life course approach · Population · Social science · Sociology · Welfare · Demographic Trends and Gender Preferences · Demography · Family Dynamics and Relationships · Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving · Psychology · Social Psychology
Life course dynamics
Understanding Family Change and Variation
Kausalanalyse mit Paneldaten
Educational differences in fertility desires, intentions and behaviour
The life course cube
The theory of planned behavior
Regression Models and Life-Tables
The Institutionalization of the Life Course
Whose Lives? How History, Societies, and Institutions Define and Shape Life Courses
From an Alternative to a Precarious Family Form? The Changing Role of Education in Nonmarital Childbearing in Germany
Der Wandel der Familie und anderer privater Lebensformen
The Emergence and Development of Life Course Theory
Panel Analysis of Intimate Relationships and Family Dynamics (pairfam)
Work-Lifestyle Choices in the 21st Century
The Second Demographic Transition Theory
The Deinstitutionalization of Marriage Revisited
Why are marriage and family formation increasingly disconnected across Europe? A multilevel perspective on existing theories
The stability of partnerships across the transition from education to employment
So Close, Yet So Far Away
Sub-Replacement Fertility Intentions in Austria
How are Time-Dependent Childbearing Intentions Realized? Realization, Postponement, Abandonment, Bringing Forward
Understanding Diversity in the Meaning of Cohabitation Across Europe
Assessing the Predictive Value of Fertility Expectations Through a Cognitive–Social Model
Conceptualisation, development, and evaluation of a measure of unplanned pregnancy
The Discovery of Grounded Uncertainty
Intention and Uncertainty at Later Stages of Childbearing
Fertility Intentions and Residential Relocations
Parity-specific fertility intentions and uncertainty
Toward a Multidimensional Measure of Pregnancy Intentions
What Do Intention Scales Measure
Why do intimate partners live apart? Evidence on LAT relationships across Europe
Risk society
People who live apart together (LATs)
Family Events and the Residential Mobility of Couples
A Cognitive-Social Model of Fertility Intentions
Marriage and separation risks among German cohabiters
Two Successive Motivations for the Declining Birth Rate in the West
The Unfolding Story of the Second Demographic Transition
When men choose to be childless
Three facets of planning and postponement of parenthood in the Netherlands
Running out of time? Understanding the consequences of the biological clock for the dynamics of fertility intentions and union formation
A life-course approach to fertility
Concepts and Operationalisation of Reproductive Decisions Implementation in Austria, Germany and Switzerland
Family Research from the Life Course Perspective
Using Marital Attitudes in Late Adolescence to Predict Later Union Transitions
New Directions in Life Course Research
Childhood Family Structure and Early Family Formation in East and West Germany
Transitions Into and Out of Cohabitation in Later Life
Families in the Life Course
Entry Into Parenthood and the Outcome of Cohabiting Partnerships in Britain
The world historical transformation of marriage
The deinstitutionalization of American marriage
Living apart together
Partners' relationship quality and childbearing
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |