Vortrag im Rahmen des Abteilungskolloquiums der Abteilung 2:

Large families in Germany are hidden in the public realm and more so the children living in these large families. This article takes a child perspective on large families by utilising the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS). While micro census and general household survey data focus on families, the NEPS data allows to explore the attributes of children and their parents such as educational achievement and economic position, when growing up in large families. With a focus on 12-year-olds, we capture the point in the life course at which family size is likely to be largest. Moreover, we estimate two models for three and four plus child families. Our findings show that children growing up in three child families are relatively common (18%). In contrast to other Western countries, families with four children and more are indeed rare in Germany (8%). We find that children in large families are not disadvantaged by income, but rather by educational opportunities. The German welfare state buffers the economic pressures for large families, but does not provide equal educational opportunities. These inequities intersect with a higher likelihood that children in large families have a migrant background. Other factors are religiousness, but not denomination. The article concludes with a discussion of the policy and institutional settings that shape large family life in Germany.