Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (5)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Maas, I.
Right arrow Articles by Settersten, R. A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

European Sociological Review 15:213-232 1999
© 1999 Oxford University Press

research-article

Military Service During Wartime Effects on Men's Occupational Trajectories and Later Economic Well-Being

Ineke Maas and Richard A. Settersten, Jr.

Max Planck Institute for Human Development Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin, Germany E-mail:maas{at}mpib-berlin.rnpg.de.
Department of Sociology,Case Western Reserve University 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44106-7124, USA. E-mail: ras2{at}pop.cwru.edu.

German men now over the age of 70 began their occupational careers during unfavourable historical circumstances. World War II forced many men out of the labour market, and, after spending time as soldiers or prisoners, these men faced the task of rebuilding their work lives. How did military service affect the occupational careers of these men? How permanent were those effects? Were certain cohorts affected more than others? And how did it affect their economic well-being in later life? To answer these questions, we use extensive life-history data on 244 men from the Berlin Aging Study. These men, between the ages of 70 and 103, are split into three birth cohorts (1887–1900; 1901–1910; 1911–1922). Several findings support the hypothesis that military service negatively affected men's occupational careers, even after controlling for pre-war educational and occupational attainment. These effects, however, diminish rapidly over time, as the German economy began to recover. While military service was most prevalent and longest in the youngest cohort, the short-term negative effects of military service were larger for the two older cohorts, lending some support to the hypothesis that the call to service represented a more serious disruption in the lives of older men who were already firmly grounded in work and family roles.

Manuscript received: January 1, 1998.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Journal of Family IssuesHome page
G. O. Hagestad and V. R. A. Call
Pathways to Childlessness: A Life Course Perspective
Journal of Family Issues, October 1, 2007; 28(10): 1338 - 1361.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 Research on AgingHome page
P. A. Jennings, C. M. Aldwin, M. R. Levenson, A. Spiro III, and D. K. Mroczek
Combat Exposure, Perceived Benefits of Military Service, and Wisdom in Later Life: Findings From the Normative Aging Study
Research on Aging, January 1, 2006; 28(1): 115 - 134.
[Abstract] [PDF]


Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.