An Analysis of Steady Life Partner and Married Respondents in East and West Germany in 1994: The ISSP Gender and Changing Family Module

Linda M. Hooper, Johns Hopkins University

In socialist Eastern Europe, universal marriage at young ages was commonplace. The 1990s saw a change in the political structures of countries in Eastern Europe, which had a dramatic effect on the lives of individuals. The timing of major life events has been altered in response to the evolving political makeup. This research examines the situation of cohabitation and marriage patterns and attitudes in both a former socialist and a market-based economy, using the geo-political boundaries of the former East and West Germany. I present a cross-sectional picture of respondents' attitudes toward cohabitation and marriage in 1994. Using the 1994 ISSP Family and Changing Gender Roles II Module for Germany, I explore attitudes toward marriage and cohabitation by gender and region of Germany to develop separate models to depict who will cohabitate in East and West Germany, each controlling for a variety of demographic and socioeconomic characteristics.