Childlessness is a widespread phenomenon in Germany. Previous studies show considerable variation in different population groups; the interaction of different factors is, however, largely unexplored. This article aims to fill this research gap by both dendrogram analyses and by estimating logistic regression analyses for women in the cohorts 1950–1969 based on Microcensus data from 2012. Multivariate results reveal that an urban place of residence, high education, no migration background, no marriage, and full-time employment largely increase the probability of childlessness. These factors cumulatively interact with each other, while the effects of pecuniary variables rather decrease. Three group-specific differentiations are remarkable: The low childlessness rate of women with low education is predominantly based on the effect of migrants. The effect of urbanisation does not apply to women with a migration background. The trend of increasing childlessness among highly educated women has stopped – at a high level: The childlessness rate of highly educated women without migration background in western German cities amounts to 38%, with a full time occupation it even rises to 51%. For western Germany, this paper shows an increasing polarisation between motherhood and career: For many women, motherhood is accompanied by a permanently reduced participation in the labour market. Conversely, the growing new opportunities regarding occupation, relationships and leisure often end in permanent childlessness.