Federal Institute for Population Research

Research Area: Family and Fertility

Germany’s Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has ranged between 1.3 and 1.5 births per woman for decades, rising to 1.57 by 2017, making Germany a very low-fertility country by an international comparison. At the same time, families have experienced huge changes in their ways of life and how they share responsibilities. Present-day challenges such as the work-family balance, the increased demands on parenthood or delayed family formation play a central role in this. The aim of the research area is to investigate cultural aspects of family life, for example society’s change in values and the interdependencies of work and family life as well as their connections to structural phenomena such as those shaped by family policy.

Current Research Projects

Research Group: Family

The focus of the research group is on how cultural perceptions influence family life. They are analysed in the context of structural factors such as family policy. Thematic areas of emphasis include division of work, parenting, gender ideologies, and the work-family balance.

Recent Projects of the Research Group

Family and Culture

The project looks at the cultural factors involved in fertility and family decisions. The focus is on norms regarding family and partnership, and their stability over time. more: Family and Culture …

Family Policies, Employment and Changing Families

The project analyses how the hopes and perceptions of fathers and mothers match actual structural conditions for combining family and work. more: Family Policies, Employment and Changing Families …

Public health with a focus on children, adolescents and family

The project analyses the impact of the Corona pandemic on the health situation of young people and families. more: Public health with a focus on children, adolescents and family …

Well-being of families during the Corona pandemic

The project examines developments in family well-being and changes over the course of the pandemic, as well as socio-demographic and socio-economic differences for different points in time within the pandemic. more: Well-being of families during the Corona pandemic …

Research Group: Fertility

The research group aims to describe and explain the birth rate in Germany in its chronological and historical course, in its difference to other societies, and in its disparities among different parts of the population.

Recent Projects of the Research Group

Fertility in the Context of Migration and Integration

The project focuses on the emphasis of ethnic and religious diversity resulting from the immigration movements of the past decades and demographic developments in the population groups with and without a migration background. more: Fertility in the Context of Migration and Integration …

Infertility and Reproductive Medicine

The project deals with fertility problems and the use of medical interventions against the background of changing fertility behaviour. more: Infertility and Reproductive Medicine …

Research Group: FReDA – The Family Demography Panel

The research group is setting up a data infrastructure for family demography research in Germany. In cooperation with other research institutions, it collects its own survey data, links them with official data and data from other sources, and makes them available for academic research in the context of family and population. Its core consists of the Family Research and Demographic Analysis (FReDA) survey programme.

Recent Projects of the Research Group

Family Research and Demographic Analysis (FReDA)

The Family Research and Demographic Analysis (FReDA) project is a data collection programme that links Germany’s Generations and Gender Survey (GGS) with the Panel Analysis of Intimate Relationships and Family Dynamics (pairfam). more: Family Research and Demographic Analysis (FReDA) …

GGP-5D

The Generations & Gender Programme Preparatory Phase Project - "GGP-5D" for short - aims to develop the GGP from a cooperation of European research institutions into a "European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC)", i.e. a permanently established, European-funded research infrastructure with its own legal status. more: GGP-5D …

Completed Research Projects

Selected former Projects

Effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Families

The project analyses the effects on mental health, the situation of couples and life satisfaction, differentiating between different socio-economic groups. more: Effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Families …

Large Families and the Two-Child Norm

The project analyses the causes and consequences of the decline in large families on a societal level as well as the personal motivations of people to have or not have a third child. more: Large Families and the Two-Child Norm …

Changes in Living Arrangements, Marriage and Divorces

The project summarises publications within the BiB Working Paper series that address selected demographic issues. more: Changes in Living Arrangements, Marriage and Divorces …

Childlessness

This project addresses causes of permanent childlessness and its evolution in the life course. more: Childlessness …

Concepts of Family in Germany

This project examines the prevalence of “concepts of family”, their significance for family life and how they influence the development of relationships and families, particularly with regard to reproductive behaviour. more: Concepts of Family in Germany …

Couples Undergoing Fertility Treatment (PinK)

The prospective survey which is the centre of the project deals with different pathways into fertility treatment, decision processes and couples' situations during treatment. A special focus is on the emotional, financial and physical burdens in couples. more: Couples Undergoing Fertility Treatment (PinK) …

Elterngeld: Germany's Parental Leave

This project analyses aims, effects and the development of Germany's parental leave (Elterngeld). In particular, effects on fertility development, income and maternal employment are examined. more: Elterngeld: Germany's Parental Leave …

Family and Fertility of Turkish Immigrants in Germany

The focus of the project is to conduct comparative analyses of family formation, family extension, couple relationships and births for people who have a Turkish background and people who do not have a migration background. more: Family and Fertility of Turkish Immigrants in Germany …

Family in Pictures

This project examines cultural conceptions of family with a method that accounts for the unreflected character of concepts of family. This way, participants draw a family and are interviewed afterwards regarding their drawing. more: Family in Pictures …

Family Policy, Cultural Conceptions of Family and Realities of Life

The project examines the correlations between family policy, cultural conceptions of family and the realities of families in Germany. Its focus is on the reconciliation of work and family. more: Family Policy, Cultural Conceptions of Family and Realities of Life …

Generations and Gender Programme

The Generations and Gender Programme (GGP) is a social science infrastructure programme for providing international data on family and demography. Within this framework, the Generation and Gender Survey (GGS) is conducted. more: Generations and Gender Programme …

International Comparison of Concepts of Family

Supplementing the research on concepts of family in Germany, an international comparison with France and Hungary was initiated. more: International Comparison of Concepts of Family …

Joint Lifetime of Family Generations

This project tackles the question of how, on the one hand, the high life expectancy and, on the other, the increasing age of mothers at childbirth will impact the joint lifetime of three and four generations and will develop in future. more: Joint Lifetime of Family Generations …

Large Families

This project examines the conditions which encourage or hinder people to have a third child. more: Large Families …

Parity-Specific Fertility Analyses

This project aims to ascertain the influence of different parities – i.e. 0, 1, 2 or 3 children – on fertility development. In addition, it examines what extent different factors play a role in the decision for first, second or third childbirth. more: Parity-Specific Fertility Analyses …

Regional Fertility Analyses

In this project, cohort fertility rates at the district level are measured for the first time. Furthermore, the causes of regional fertility differences are analysed. more: Regional Fertility Analyses …

The Rush Hour of Life: Phases of Life with Great Time Demands and Grouped Life Choices

The project examines the lived realities and strategies of young couples to reconcile work and family life. There are two variants of the “rush hour of life”: A high workload during the phase when people have young children and a concentration of crucial life choices during one’s thirties. more: The Rush Hour of Life: Phases of Life with Great Time Demands and Grouped Life Choices …

Use of cookies

Cookies help us to provide our services. By using our website you agree that we can use cookies. Read more about our Privacy Policy and visit the following link: Privacy Policy

OK