Age-specific attendance rate at education in the Federal Republic of Germany from 1952 to 1987.

The concept of the ‘age-specific attendance rates’ is used in this study as indicator for the population’s attendance at education. This indicator eliminates the effects of demographic influences in temporal and regional comparisons.
In this concept the long-term development of school and univeristy attendance is analyzed by relating the age-grouped number of pupils and students to the population of the same age cohort.

First the development of the pupils’ and students’ number and the main features of the demographic development are represented. The development of the age-specific attendance rates of separate age cohorts shows the effect of changes caused by school-reorganization (for example the reorganization of the school years or the implementation of new educational establishments). Furthermore, this development suggests the comparison of the attendence development between different educational institutions an within the same institition between different age cohorts.

The results of the calculations for the age cohort of the 13-year-olds is of particular interest, because in this age group the school attendance is compulsory for all children and the alloction of the children to the different school-types in Germany (elementary school or rather ‘Hauptschule’, mid-level secondary school or rather ‘Real-Schule’, grammar school or rather ‘Gymnasium’) is completed.

The age-specific attendance rates at the grammar schools (‘Gymnasium’) of the 18-year-olds could be seen as a rough indicator for the population’s participation at advanced education.

Comparisons of the age-specific attendance rates of boys and girls at school and of men and women at vocational education and universities respectively shows, that the participation of girls and women has increased.

Afterwards the passage thru the edicational system of the birth-cohorts 1940, 1946, 1950, 1960, and 1970 is analysed.

Topics:

Datatables in HISTAT:

A. Absolute Number: resident population, pupils, and students (1950-1987).

B. Age-specific attendance rates by kind of school (1952-1987).
(6-year-olds, 10-year-olds, 13-year-olds, 16-year-olds, 18-year-olds, 22-year-olds, 26-29-year-olds).

C. Age-specific attedance rates at university
(Portion of female students, percentage of students, students at the age of 22, 26 and 29 by sex).

D. Age-specific attendance rates at education by birth-cohorts.
(Birth-cohorts: 1940, 1946, 1950, 1960 and 1970 by kind of school and by kind of universities).

E. Age-specific attendance rates at education by German Federal States (=Bundesländer).