In this theoretical contribution, we propose a comprehensive and integrative heuristic model to explain fertility, the Model of Dyadic Pathways (MDP). We show how existing models such as the Theory of Planned Behaviour often do not withstand empirical challenges, especially not individual self-reports in qualitative studies. Furthermore, existing models vary in their premises and foci, resulting in a collection of models which do not necessarily align with or supplement one another. For these reasons, these heuristic models have been widely criticised and, in practice, pieced together according to the research question and tradition of the researcher. Against this backdrop, we establish the MDP to reconnect theory with reality and to unify a variety of approaches. The MDP is grounded on the dyad of partners as the prevalent basis of fertility. It integrates reasoned and unreasoned fertility behaviour, the impact of individual- and couple-level life course, soci(et)al conditions, and the body as an “actor”. The model explicitly accounts for the variety of different real-life pathways that lead to fertility. It thereby encourages researchers to, first, consider all potentially relevant factors and their mechanisms and, second, think of fertility and its measurement as a multilinear process. Based on the presented elements a comprehensive model of fertility must cover, we suggest ways to improve surveys accordingly. Furthermore, we elaborate on the contributions and challenges the MDP presents to future fertility research.

No abstract

The issue of how to reconcile family and work is particularly relevant in the light of West Germany’s institutional and normative framework which has been facilitating mothers of young children to withdraw from the labor market for some years. Though the topic has already been subject to academic debate, the questions remain if and how women’s careers are influenced by the way women embed their prevalently two births into their employment biographies as well as if educational groups differ in these effects. So far, research has mainly focused on the first birth’s timing: aspirations to establish firmly on the labor market suggest a postponement of the first birth to some degree. The effect is less obvious for the spacing between first and second births: to avoid a detrimental career discontinuity, women can either choose a short spacing, blocking their periods of unpaid caregiving tightly for a quick and definite occupational return, or space their births widely, intermitting their parental leaves with periods of employment. Using NEPS data for West German mothers of two, the study finds that compared to career entry, the occupational prestige at age 45 is severely impaired by the period after women’s first birth. While this is not affected by a specific timing, higher educated women tend to time their firstbirths least detrimentally. With regard to the spacing, evidence suggests that only higher educated women can achieve to continue their prestige accumulation, namely by spacing their births very tightly. Lower and intermediately educated women’s prestige, in contrast, cannot be impaired considerably by their spacing behavior, unless they decide to return to part-time employment soon after their first birth. Zusammenfassung Die Frage nach einer erfolgreichen Vereinbarkeit von Familie und Beruf stellt sich insbesondere in Westdeutschland, wo der institutionelle und normative Rahmen Mütter ermutigt, mehrere Jahre für die Betreuung ihrer Kleinkinder zuhause zu bleiben. Trotz umfassender Forschung zum Thema blieben bisher die Fragen offen, inwiefern weibliche Karrieren durch die zeitliche Einbettung der überwiegend zwei Geburten in die Erwerbsbiografien beeinflusst werden und ob sich Bildungsgruppen darin unterscheiden. Bisher konzentrierte sich die Forschung dahingehend vor allem auf das Timing der Erstgeburt: Um sich fest am Arbeitsmarkt zu etablieren scheint eine gewisse Verzögerung der Erstgeburt hilfreich. Bezüglich des Spacings zwischen Erst und Zweitgeburt liegen hingegen zwei Strategien nahe: Entweder bekommen Frauen ihre Kinder kurz nacheinander um danach endgültig an den Arbeitsmarkt zurückzukehren, oder sie nutzen einen langen Abstand zwischen den Kindern für eine berufliche Episode. Mithilfe eines NEPS-Samples zweifacher Mütter kann die Studie aufzeigen, dass ihr berufliches Prestige zwischen Karriereeinstieg und dem Alter 45 insbesondere von der Episode nach der ersten Geburt beeinträchtigt wird. Obwohl dies nicht durch ein bestimmtes Timing bedingt ist, er-weist sich das Timing höher gebildeter Frauen als am wenigsten nachteilig. Für das Spacing zeigt sich, dass nur höher gebildete Frauen nach ihren Betreuungsphasen noch Prestige anhäufen können, so sie denn ihre Kinder im kurzen Abstand zueinander bekommen. Die Prestigeentwicklung von Frauen mit geringerer Bildung hingegen wird nicht wesentlich durch das Spacing vermindert, außer sie entscheiden sich kurz nach der Geburt des ersten Kindes für die Rückkehr in einen Teilzeiterwerb.

No abstract

No abstract