Where in Germany are women most likely to never have children?
In Germany, one in five women remains childless after the end of childbearing age, according to Germany's Statistical Office (Destatis) on Wednesday. But the figure varies greatly based on their region and education level.
Every fifth German woman between the ages of 45 and 49 has no biological children. This means that the rate of childless women at the end of childbearing age has remained almost unchanged at 20 percent for the past ten years, according to Destatis.
Fifteen years ago, the rate stood slightly lower at 17 percent.
Looking at the latest data, for the year 2022, there are clear regional differences: In western Germany, the rate was significantly higher at 20 percent than in eastern Germany (excluding Berlin) at 14 percent.
In terms of individual states, women aged 45 to 54 are significantly more likely to be childless in the city-states of Hamburg (29 percent) and Berlin (25 percent) than in the eastern German state of Thuringia, for example, where the rate stood at 13 percent.
"Big cities offer many more opportunities in terms of leisure and career, but also in terms of a dating market. Many people don't want to commit," Martin Bujard of the Federal Institute for Demographic Research (BiB) told DPA.
In addition, cities with a lot of traffic or expensive housing tend to be less family-friendly.
In the other western German states the rate was between 17 and 23 percent. In eastern Germany, Berlin's neighbouring state of Brandenburg was an outlier, with a comparatively high rate of 17 percent.
And what role does the level of education play? Among women aged 45 to 49 with a high level of education, the childless rate stood at 23 percent.
For women with a medium level of education, it was 21 percent and for women with a low level of education it was only 11 percent.
A few years ago, the rate among the most highly educated was even higher, at 28 percent.
"The development [of more educated women having children] is a success and has a lot to do with the better compatibility of family and work, for example with the introduction of Elterngeld (parental allowance)," says Bujard.
READ ALSO:
- Trend of ever more childless women comes to a halt in Germany - even for academics
- EXPLAINED: Everything you need to know about parental leave in Germany
Bujard sees three main reasons for childlessness: "There are women who generally never wanted to have children. Then there are those who biologically cannot have children. And then there are those who can't find a partner or wait too long."
Germany's childless rate had risen steadily in the previous three decades, almost doubling from 11 percent among women born in the 1930s to 21 percent among women born in the late 1960s, according to Destatis.
Vocabulary
childbearing age - der gebärfähige Alter
level of education - das Bildungsniveau
the introduction - die Einführung
commit - binden
We’re aiming to help our readers improve their German by translating vocabulary from some of our news stories. Did you find this article useful? Let us know.
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Every fifth German woman between the ages of 45 and 49 has no biological children. This means that the rate of childless women at the end of childbearing age has remained almost unchanged at 20 percent for the past ten years, according to Destatis.
Fifteen years ago, the rate stood slightly lower at 17 percent.
Looking at the latest data, for the year 2022, there are clear regional differences: In western Germany, the rate was significantly higher at 20 percent than in eastern Germany (excluding Berlin) at 14 percent.
In terms of individual states, women aged 45 to 54 are significantly more likely to be childless in the city-states of Hamburg (29 percent) and Berlin (25 percent) than in the eastern German state of Thuringia, for example, where the rate stood at 13 percent.
"Big cities offer many more opportunities in terms of leisure and career, but also in terms of a dating market. Many people don't want to commit," Martin Bujard of the Federal Institute for Demographic Research (BiB) told DPA.
In addition, cities with a lot of traffic or expensive housing tend to be less family-friendly.
In the other western German states the rate was between 17 and 23 percent. In eastern Germany, Berlin's neighbouring state of Brandenburg was an outlier, with a comparatively high rate of 17 percent.
And what role does the level of education play? Among women aged 45 to 49 with a high level of education, the childless rate stood at 23 percent.
For women with a medium level of education, it was 21 percent and for women with a low level of education it was only 11 percent.
A few years ago, the rate among the most highly educated was even higher, at 28 percent.
"The development [of more educated women having children] is a success and has a lot to do with the better compatibility of family and work, for example with the introduction of Elterngeld (parental allowance)," says Bujard.
READ ALSO:
- Trend of ever more childless women comes to a halt in Germany - even for academics
- EXPLAINED: Everything you need to know about parental leave in Germany
Bujard sees three main reasons for childlessness: "There are women who generally never wanted to have children. Then there are those who biologically cannot have children. And then there are those who can't find a partner or wait too long."
Germany's childless rate had risen steadily in the previous three decades, almost doubling from 11 percent among women born in the 1930s to 21 percent among women born in the late 1960s, according to Destatis.
Vocabulary
childbearing age - der gebärfähige Alter
level of education - das Bildungsniveau
the introduction - die Einführung
commit - binden
We’re aiming to help our readers improve their German by translating vocabulary from some of our news stories. Did you find this article useful? Let us know.
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