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The German Generations and Gender Survey: some critical reflections on the validity of fertility histories
Der deutsche Generations and Gender Survey: einige kritische Betrachtungen zur Validität der Fertilitätsverläufe
[journal article]
Abstract "This paper validates the fertility histories of the German Generations and Gender Survey (GGS). Focusing on the cohorts 1930-69 of West German women, the total number of children, the parity distribution and the parity progression ratios are compared to external sources. One major result from this ... view more
"This paper validates the fertility histories of the German Generations and Gender Survey (GGS). Focusing on the cohorts 1930-69 of West German women, the total number of children, the parity distribution and the parity progression ratios are compared to external sources. One major result from this validation is that the German GGS understates the fertility for the older cohorts and overstates it for the younger ones. We presume that two mechanisms are responsible for this pattern in the German GGS: On the one hand, children who have left parental home are underreported in the retrospective fertility histories. On the other hand, women with small children are easier to reach by the interviewer. These two mechanisms taken together produce too low numbers of children for the older and too high ones for the younger cohorts. Extending the validation to marital histories has revealed a similar bias. Our general conclusion from this investigation is that the German GGS may not be used for statistical analyses of cohort fertility and marriage trends. For subsequent surveys, we suggest integrating simple control questions in questionnaires with complex retrospective fertility and union histories." (author's abstract)... view less
Keywords
fertility; partnership; wedding; number of children; Federal Republic of Germany; old federal states; microcensus; data; validation
Classification
Population Studies, Sociology of Population
Methods and Techniques of Data Collection and Data Analysis, Statistical Methods, Computer Methods
Free Keywords
fertility history; union history; Generations and Gender Survey - GGS
Document language
English
Publication Year
2013
Page/Pages
p. 3-28
Journal
Comparative Population Studies - Zeitschrift für Bevölkerungswissenschaft, 38 (2013) 1
ISSN
1869-8999
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed
Licence
Deposit Licence - No Redistribution, No Modifications