[Child or career? Desire for a child in East and West Berlin]

In the Federal Republic of Germany the rate of the childless women rises. While the topic of unwanted childlessness among gynecologists receives broad attention among gynecologists, the question of (temporaryly?) intended renouncement of pregnancy and birth is of little interest. For the former GDR a low age with the firstborn and a high mother rate were typically. After the "turn" serious modifications of the birth rate in East Germany happened.

The available study examined 1996 motives for and against a child with 554 up-to-date wanted childless women in East- and West-Berlin (population-referred sample). In the questionnaire, besides sociodemographic data, information was raised to own childhood, partnership, occupation, satisfaction with life and for child desire motivation.

Apart from the school and vocational termination conceptions on the age with the firstborn, disadvantages for a life with child and value hierarchies for partnership and family were important for the description of the dilemma of compatibility of occupation and family. Eastsocialized women consider a compatibility rather possible.

Targets for vocational development and responsible parenthood for young women come into conflict. Temporal delaying of the child desire leads to an increase of intended and unwanted childlessness with various (psychosomatic) effects on obstetrics and gynecology.