Fertility after separation: second births in higher order unions in Eastern and Western Germany

Valerie Heintz-Martin, German Youth Institute
Michaela Kreyenfeld, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research

This paper uses recent data from the German family panel (pairfam) to examine the fertility behavior after separation. More specifically, we focus on the transition to the second child and compare the behavior of respondents in ongoing partnerships (couples who are still partnered with the mother/father of their first child) with those who have experienced family dissolution after the first birth. The investigation reveals strong gender differences in post-separation fertility behavior, with men being more reluctant to have a second child in a new partnership than women. We also find large differences between eastern and western Germany which we attribute to differences in institutional contexts that still prevail between the formerly two parts of Germany after reunification.