Trends in Patterns of Employment since the German Reunification and the Wellbeing of Parents in Eastern and Western Germany

Two decades after reunification, the contrast between eastern and western Germany offers a natural experiment for studying the change in the employment patterns of parents. Historically both parts of Germany had different family and labor market policies: East Germany supported high female labor force participation whereas in West Germany the male breadwinner model was the norm. Hence, the question is: To what degree are these patterns of employment behavior persistent to this day? And beyond this, how do the changes in parental employment in Germany compare to international developments?
A second aim of this paper is to examine the impact of employment patterns on parents well being. In West Germany labor force participation and the responsibility for the family were usually seen as a “double burden“ for women whereas in East Germany parents became accustomed to full time employment of both partners. In light of different cultural and infrastructural backgrounds, how comfortable do parents feel with their working arrangements and their family life in both parts of Germany?
Data from the German Microcenses 1991 to 2009 and from the representative survey AID:A (Growing up in Germany) conducted in 2009 are used.

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