Life in Germany: how do we live, what has been changed – and why? [1]
After an article by Theo Sommer [2] in “Die Zeit” [3].
Translated by xia23
Who are we German people – and what are we? How were we, what are we today? And where do things go? The most contemporaries do not know the answer. We know in a disturbing way, that we are always quickly swirling into our future. But we can say less reliably about our future than all previous generations.
The man, as you were a man, had a predictable working life; the wife took care of kids and kitchen. The bike was the fastest locomotion tool of most people, first half million cars were on the German streets (today there are almost 100 times more). The TV, at the beginning, hardly reached in every living room. After the war and displacement – 9 million refugees from the east – happily put down their roots, were allowed to build their small houses. People married early, became father and mother at 25; kids came to nature’s whim, divorce remained an embarrassing mishap. Going to church on Sunday morning was self-understanding, looked much like the family walking in the afternoon.
This world is gone. Life style has been changed dramatically ever since. In the life courses in a single mold, new biographies have merged. People’s life splits apart. The professional life as the private life, is increasingly splitting up to part time stages, which transforms the work life into a series of jobs. Life companions become life-splitting-companions in a system of consecutive polygamy in which the old household family become multi-local network of relationship. The churches have lost members and influence, philosophy is rarely heard. Most people switched nowadays to autopilots – really not to marry.
Seven trends have determined the development of our society over the past half century – whether for good or for devil – remains to be seen.
Firstly: people are getting older. Thanks to medical progress people live longer. In Germany life expectancy for men is 75 years and for women is 82 years. That is 30 years higher than that in a century ago and 10 years higher than that in half century ago. This messes up all the old calculations for older care.
Secondly: the country turns gray. In 1950 in Germany 1.4 million babies were born, 50 years later the number is little bit over half. At that time there were 15 million kids under the age 14 and 6.7 million older people at age 65 and over; right now, the ratio of two age groups is 1:1. Behind of this number is a demographic revolution; among other things this revolution is the result of “dip of the pill” (note: birth control pill). The pills have changed the families and life planning entirely.
Thirdly: careers for women have been more and more alternatively accepted for the kitchen and kids, in many cases as supplement. About 58% of all women now working (31% in 1950). More women who are working, meaning that the families have to organize themselves differently. Also the state and the economy must have new ways out – part time work, kids care and older people’s care have to be set up, so that working women do not have to give up their careers at the expense of their families.
Fourthly: the working world has changed. The old scheme development, production, selling – have widely dissolved. Showcase-outsourcing on modern Germany - is the principle. This new confusion forces people to have a feeling of helplessness. They have noticed that farmers have shrunk to be less than 3% of the population. Now you notice that industrial worker number sinks continuously - from almost half of employees in 1950 to 21.6% at the beginning of the 21st century. Today 2/3 of all employed people are employed in service industry; in 1950 only 1/3. Are people as work power useless as horses after insertion of tractors?
Fifthly: the church loses more of its importance – especially in the east --, that can’t be overlooked. Today 74% in the west and 27.8% in the east belong to evangelistic or catholic church; but now only ¼ population in the west regularly goes to church; in the east that is far less. Since 1953 percentage of those who are baptized, married or buried in the catholic churches has dropped by half; it has also been similar in the protestant churches.
Sixthly: In the past Austria was closer for German as Tibet. The nearest valley was already a world apart, people spent their vacations in the grandmas’ gardens, at the best in a guest-house in the Baltic sea. Today the mobility is the norm. Mallorca and Maldives, Gran Canaria and Grand Canyon lie the same as in the corner. Every year 34 million German take vacations far away.
Seventhly: 75 years ago only a few foreigners lived in Germany. Today it comes to – if people add illegal immigrants to the 7.9 million legal immigrants – one in every 10 people is from foreign countries. Assimilation, integration or multi-cultures? The perennial question “what is the German fatherland?” returns in modern form? Who belongs to it? Who doesn’t? Which aspect of their culture could immigrants keep, if they become or want to become German?
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[1]. Leben in Deutschland: Wie leben wir, was hat sich värandert – und warum? p. 181. “Stationen”, Ein Kursbuch für die Mittelstufe, 3rd Edition, Prisca Augustyn & Nikolaus Euba, Cengage Learning, USA, 2015
[2]. Theo Sommer. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theo_Sommer?
[3]. Die Zeit. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_Zeit
