The life span between the mid-twenties and the late thirties is characterised by multiple demands. In recent years, the expression "rush hour of life" has been used to describe periods of time when conflicting demands are felt most acutely, in particular related to family formation and...

The life span between the mid-twenties and the late thirties is characterised by multiple demands. In recent years, the expression 'rush hour of life' has been used to describe periods of time when conflicting demands are felt most acutely, in particular related to family formation and fertility.

Increasing numbers of young people enter university-level programmes and the share of university graduates among today’s young adults is expected to be around 40 per cent in OECD countries. Education-specific studies reveal differences in fertility behaviour. Childlessness is a particularly...

Germany is a low-fertility country with a rapidly ageing population, and will remain so for the foreseeable future. There are several reasons for this trend. Germany is among the countries with the highest rates of childlessness in the world, and childlessness has become widely accepted. This is...

The development of modern family patterns of the past decades has been accompanied by substantial changes in social norms, values and gender relations. There is theoretical support for the assumption that the persistence of low fertility levels across Europe is likely to be linked to the...