Intergenerational relationships in families from Turkey and Germany

Abstract

The approach of ‘Value of children’ studies is extended to a general rational choice model of intergenerational relationships, including fertility behavior as well as normative orientations to sex-roles, educational attitudes, early child-care and socialization practices. This model is empirically tested by a cross-cultural comparison which includes five groups of families: (i) West German families; (ii) Turkish migrant families of the second generation which were constituted after migration to West Germany; (iii) Turkish migrant families of the first generation, for which marriage took place before migration; (iv) Turkish re-immigrant families, which returned after a stay in West Germany to Turkey; (v) Turkish families. In the mother tongue interview with fathers or mothers a specific ‘target child’ was chosen, whose age, sex and birth place is known. The parent was asked about his/her educational aims and attitudes and early child care and socialization practices in relation to this child. Empirical results are presented to show similarities and differences for the subpopulations under consideration. These data show the impact of socio-structural conditions on various levels, including cross-cultural comparisons as well as comparisons of immediate living conditions, in combination with individual options as indicated by education and status of family mexsmbers, on the constitution of specific intergenerational relationships. They support the extension of the ‘value of children’ approach to parent-child relationships in general.

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