Military service during wartime - Effects on men's occupational trajectories and later economic well-being

German men now over the age of 70 began their occupational careers during u nfavourable historical circumstances. World War II forced many men out of t he 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 eff ects? Were certain cohorts affected mote 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 (18 87-1900; 1901-1910; 1911-1922). Several findings support the hypothesis tha t military service negatively affected men's occupational careers, even aft er controlling for pre-war educational and occupational attainment. These e ffects, however, diminish rapidly over time, as the German economy began to recover. While military service was most prevalent and longest in the youn gest cohort, the short-term negative effects of military service were large r for the two older cohorts, lending some support to the hypothesis that th e call to service represented a more serious disruption in the lives of old er men who were already firmly grounded in work and family roles.