Only child

As a single child is referred to children who grow up without siblings.

In Germany 18 % of children throughout their childhood only children ( East Germany: 27%, West Germany 17%). City kids grow more frequently than their peers in smaller cities without siblings. There missing the family and social networks that facilitate the installation of more than one child. In addition, there often outweigh small rental apartments with only a nursery.

There can be many reasons why parents choose not to other children and an only child:

• Children and family play a less central position in the personal value system.
• The professional career, not family formation or extension, is at the center of life.
• Due to bad experiences with their own siblings similar experiences for your child to be avoided.
• Due to a limited social network, child care is difficult to organize.
• Other family members or caregivers would not tolerate a decision for more children.
• An unfavorable housing situation prevents the implementation of a potential desire for more children.
• More children lead to higher financial burdens that can not possibly be worn.
• Fear of falling by more children in a ( new / stronger ) depending on the partner or the partner.
• Desire not to contribute to the overpopulation of the planet.

Character development of individual children: Empirical studies

Ernst and fear in 1983: summary of scientific studies

The authors summarized all previously published studies together. They came to the conclusion that neither birth order nor the number of siblings, nor the fact of being an only child, has an independent influence on the character development of a person, when holding all other variables constant.