Single Motherhood in East and West Germany: What Can Explain the Differences?

Uwe Jirjahn and Cornelia Struewing
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Cornelia Chadi

No 2015-08, Research Papers in Economics from University of Trier, Department of Economics

Abstract: The share of single mothers is higher in East Germany than in West Germany. Using data from the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP), we examine two transmission channels leading to single motherhood, namely out-of-partnership births and separations of couples with minor children. Women in East Germany have both a higher probability of out-of-partnership birth and a higher probability of separation. We find no evidence that availability of child care plays a role in the differences between East and West Germany. The differences in single motherhood appear to be rather driven by cultural and economic factors.

Keywords: Out-of-partnership birth; separation of couples; cohabitation; child care; unemployment; culture (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J12 J13 P20 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 35 pages
Date: 2015
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-eur, nep-lab and nep-ltv
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Single Motherhood in East and West Germany: What Can Explain the Differences? (2018)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:trr:wpaper:201508

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