MPIDR Working Paper

The third child: a comparison between West Germany and Norway

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to provide insights into third-birth dynamics in West Germany and Norway. Since the third-birth propensity between both countries differs remarkably, we seek to address the following questions in this paper: What are the characteristics of mothers with two and three children? What are the differences in third-birth dynamics between Norway and West Germany, and how can they be explained? Which factors have a similar influence on Norwegian and West German two-child mothers and their further fertility? We believe that a comparison of third-birth behavior between Norway and West Germany is of interest since the two nations are examples of two different European welfare state regimes. Therefore, they can serve as an example to point out the effects of socio-economic characteristics under different societal settings.