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Socio-economic Circumstances at Birth and Early Motherhood: The Case of the “Daughters of the Wall”

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  • Kleinjans Kristin J.

    (Department of Economics, California State University, Fullerton, USA)

Abstract

The fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 resulted in a severe economic downturn and a stark temporary decline in fertility in East Germany. But did it also affect the fertility of future generations? In this paper, I investigate early motherhood – a marker of lifetime disadvantage – of those born in the years immediately after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Using data from the German Socioeconomic Panel and a difference-in-differences specification comparing the “Daughters of the Wall” with East Germans born in adjacent years and with West Germans in order to control for region fixed-effects and time-varying confounders, I find that these Daughters of the Wall were more likely to have children in young adulthood if they did not grow up with both of their parents. These results suggest that severe recessions increase early motherhood of those born into disadvantage, increasing the transmission of disadvantage across generations.

Suggested Citation

  • Kleinjans Kristin J., 2024. "Socio-economic Circumstances at Birth and Early Motherhood: The Case of the “Daughters of the Wall”," Journal of Economics and Statistics (Jahrbuecher fuer Nationaloekonomie und Statistik), De Gruyter, vol. 244(1-2), pages 113-129, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:jns:jbstat:v:244:y:2024:i:1-2:p:113-129:n:8
    DOI: 10.1515/jbnst-2022-0017
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    gender inequality; fertility; parental selection; recession; economic upheaval; fall of the Berlin Wall; German socioeconomic panel;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • P30 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist Institutions and Their Transitions - - - General

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