As the results and figures obtained from research on generative behaviour show, differences between East and West Germans can still be identified which, however, cannot necessarily only be attributed to the different regime traditions. Therefore the question arises as to which factors come into play in this context. It is assumed that, in addition to socio-economic framework conditions, the cultural influence on citizens also plays a role. The aim of this article is to study the cultural anchoring on the basis of the respective models regarding the importance of one's own children and presumed requirements for parenthood, and to compare these with other relevant variables on socialisation, partnership and the socio-economic situation. In this respect, childlessness in relation to parenthood is considered to be a particularly striking feature of the fertility differences between the old and the new ‘Länder’. The former is still more pronounced in the west, but the total fertility rate (TFR) is almost equally low in both regions. There are considerable differences between East and West, especially in the importance of own children and toddler care, with regard to the facets of guiding role models considered. Logistic regression models are used to examine the influence of family-related models on parenthood in comparison to other factors. The results prove, among others, that role models in western Germany have approximately the same explanatory power as individual socio-economic framework conditions – in eastern Germany they are more important than all other possible factors.