Many young graduates of German universities postpone starting a family for a long time – first they plan to finish their studies, then start a career. For this reason, the average woman becomes a mother for the first time at age 30, and a man becomes a father at age 35. This is one of the reasons for the low number of children per family.
Germany needs more children because after Japan it is the second country with the oldest population in the world. The fertility rate (1.5 children per woman) is currently at its highest level since reunification, but still lags behind the EU average (1.58).
Therefore, the state supports families in various ways. The main programs are child benefit, parental allowance, tax breaks, additional payments for pregnant women and low-income families who cannot meet the basic needs of their children. Such families are also exempt from school fees.
Nevertheless, single parents are at risk or become low-income citizens if the other parent refuses to pay child support.
As in many other countries, German parents are forced to juggle family and work. However, it should now become easier for women and men to combine the two. Since 2013, every child from the first year of life has the right to a place in a daycare center. The federal states have invested heavily in expanding childcare services for younger and school-age children.
Since 2007, mothers and fathers can take paid leave. The state pays parental allowance (Elterngeld) in the amount of 65% of their net income.
The father earns money, the mother stays at home and raises the children – this role model is considered outdated in Germany, but is still quite common. Although 70% of all mothers work, 40% of them work part-time. A transformation is underway: the younger generation of fathers would like to spend more time with their children and participate more actively in upbringing. Currently, every third father takes parental leave for a period of two to three months.
Just numbers
• 8.1 million families are raising children under the age of 18.
• 13 million children currently live in Germany.
• 20% is the share of single parents.
• 35% of children live with parents who are not married.
• 1.5 children per woman – this is the highest fertility rate in Germany since reunification.
• 30 years – the average age of a woman at the birth of her first child.
• 35 years – the average age of men at the birth of their first child.
• 25% of children in Germany have no siblings.
• 70% of mothers have their own income.
• 33% of children under three attend daycare centers.
Based on materials from the portal Deutschland.de