Universität zu Köln

Birkelbach, Klaus, Meulemann, Heiner ORCID: 0000-0003-3327-5492, Sondergeld, Christian and Witt, Veronika (2025). Private Life Preference and Life Satisfaction. Mutual Impacts in Occupational and Private Life Among Former German High School Students from age 16 to 66. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 20 (3). pp. 1139-1162. Springer Nature. ISSN 1871-2584

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Abstract

Life satisfaction should be analysed focussing on the institutionalized occupational and private life, on preferences, and on the life course and controlling for life success. To do so, four hypotheses are tested. (1) Private life preference affects private life satisfaction positively, and occupational life satisfaction negatively. (2) Private life preference is affected by private life satisfaction positively, and occupational life satisfaction negatively. (3) Both satisfactions and private life preference are stable over the life course. (4) In each domain, success affects satisfaction positively. The sample consists of – socially selected – German high school students at age 16 which have been re-interviewed at age 30, 43, 56, and 66. Among the 1013 permanent respondents, the hypotheses are investigated by structural equation models with random effects. Hypothesis (1) and (2) are confirmed for occupational life, yet not for private life. Hypothesis (3) is confirmed throughout. Hypothesis (4) is confirmed for occupational life, but only partly for private life. Paradoxically, the everyday prominence of private life excludes its determination by the preference for it.

Item Type:	Article
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Birkelbach, Klaus UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Meulemann, Heiner UNSPECIFIED https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3327-5492 UNSPECIFIED Sondergeld, Christian UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Witt, Veronika UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-801043
Identification Number:	10.1007/s11482-025-10445-x
Journal or Publication Title:	Applied Research in Quality of Life
Volume:	20
Number:	3
Page Range:	pp. 1139-1162
Number of Pages:	24
Date:	22 June 2025
Publisher:	Springer Nature
ISSN:	1871-2584
Language:	English
Faculty:	Faculty of Management, Economy and Social Sciences
Divisions:	Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences > Social Sciences > Sociology and Social Psychology > Department of Scociology
Subjects:	Psychology Social sciences
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language Success and satisfaction ; Occupational and private life ; Prestige ; Income ; Partnership ; Parenthood English
['eprint_fieldname_oa_funders' not defined]:	Publikationsfonds UzK
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/80104