Population, family and the life course
Karel Neels
Jorik Vergauwen
Exam: 1 or 2 knowledge questions, 1 question on deeper insights with maybe a
figure in the content and 1 question about the literature sheet. So, 3 or 4
questions in total.
Class 1 – The life course paradigm
The course of life is conceived as a succession of positions that an individual
occupies over time. An important distinction is that between (life) events and
position. Events mark the transition between two positions, while a position is
enclosed between two events. In this class, we are going to talk about positions,
time and events. Positions because you have a position as a student. Time is an
important indicator because there is always a clock involved. Event is the
transition between two positions.
The life course paradigm is multidisciplinary (psychology, demography, sociology,
economics) and had different (sociological, epidemiological) theoretical and
methodological perspectives. We will focus on the sociological perspective.
When you use the life course as a research object, it is the dependent variable.
We look at structures and institutions that influence the life course (sociological
perspective).
You have not one, but many different life courses: family, labour, education,
income,…
Historical development of the life course paradigm
The North-American life course perspective this is the founding father.
Before the life course paradigm, there was snapchot research where they are
looking at the impact of social structure on individual life (cross-sectional
research design where you look at different age groups in 1 point of time). But
next to the snapchot research, you also had the movie-like research where they
are looking at the unfolding of individual lives (qualitative studies and making a
description). The family was considered to be the most important link between
the process of social change and the personal course of life. The family was
central to social change and the course of life.
The patriarch perspective (Elder) in 1930s, there was an economic
depression in the US, this was called the great depression. This had impact on
later life, depending on birth cohort and social class. Elder was interested how
the depression influenced the daily life. Elder considered 3 cohorts: boston (early
20th century), oakland (1920s) and Berkeley (1928-1929). The great depression
affects the life course of the cohorts in different ways (see page 2).
The institutional approach social construction of the life course is affected
by the nation-state (Mayer 1989). Legal construction of the individual.
Institutional differentiation: the development of the welfare state after WWII.
Policy based on universal criteria, often by chronological age. Standardizing life
course by rights and obligations (compulsory education and allowed to retire).
Structuring and integration where transitions between life phases formalized
(gaining a school degree). Design of social policy changed because there
1
,becomes availability of childcare affects female labour force participation and
unemployment benefits depend on earlier labour market activity. The normative
models of LF behavior can change.
The political economy close relationship between (welfare) state, (labour)
market and the family. Focus more on life course stratification: social inequality
through constellation welfare
state regime. For example, countries with unsupportive female labour market
policies. Conflict.
How you structure the life course often comes with new social problems. New
things that need to be addressed. You have to give a new meaning to it. If you go
back to the 18-19 century, then there did not exist a childhood like we know now.
There was child labour etc. In the 20th century, education was more likely and
children became more dependent to their parents. In the second half of the 20 th
century, there was a higher life expectancy. New life stages originate because of
new social problems. This is an institutional approach.
Children of the Great Depression (1974) – Boston cohort
Children who were born in the earlies 20 century and they were adults in the
great depression. The finding was there a link between economic context and life
course of the child through psychological and economic adjustments. You saw
three different things:
Division of labor: the loss of income by the head of the household was
absorbed by, increased paid work by mothers and sons, increasing the labor-
intensive household activities by daughters and the responsibility for the
family shifted from the (male) breadwinner to the mother and the older
children.
Change in family relationships: the relative influence of the mother increased,
control by the parents decreased and the father role was less appreciated and
the consequence was status loss and tensions within the family.
Greater impact for poorer, working-class families & girls: daughters of the
most deprived families became more focused on performing household
chores, raising children and the family in general. Also, the reduced
supervision by the parents, combined with the increase in household
responsibilities, resulted in a lower level of education for both the boys and
the girls from the more deprived families. And boys from the more deprived
families were more focused on gaining economic independence. This resulted
in a work ethic through which the disadvantages of a poor career education
were eliminated.
Children of the Great Depression (1974) – Other cohorts
(Lasting) impact strongly dependent on life course stage during G.D. You saw
different things:
Oakland cohort: less family and work responsibilities during 1930s, hence less
affected. Transition to adulthood coincided with mobilization World War II,
which weakened the link with the great depression, much greater influence.
Less infected.
Berkley cohort: this was the youngest cohort. The impact of the Great
Depression runs via disadvantaged early childhood circumstances.
2
,Principles of the LC paradigm (Elder): the LIFE-SPAN development, the
agency principle, the principle of time and place, the principle of timing, the
principle of linked lives.
PRINCIPLE 1: Human development and aging are lifelong processes. Human
the principle development does not stop at 18 years. They learn and adapt
of LIFE-SPAN through the whole life. Things in the past can have an impact on
development the future. Study choice gives a direction on the labor
market. Period of unemployment leads to search behavior.
Divorce parents impacts risk of your own divorce. Leaving
home influence income trajectory.
PRINCIPLE 2: Individuals construct their own life course through the choices
The agency and actions they take within the opportunities and constraints of
principle history and social circumstance. Choices are situated within
social structures and historical and geographical contexts. A
woman can choose to enter the labor market, but the freedom
of choice of a single mother is different from that of a school-
leaver, but the freedom of choice of a (generationally) poor
woman is different from that of a middle-class woman. There
can be different circumstances, and you can have different
agency.
PRINCIPLE 3: The life course of individuals is embedded and shaped by the
The principle historical times and places they experience over their lifetime.
of time and The (evolving) legal context determines the life course.
place Economic recession or a war determines the life course (turning
points are the WWII, Arabic Spring Revolution, a
pandemic). Extending compulsory education has an impact on
the life course of those who study longer. A recession has an
impact on the saving behavior of individuals. But life courses
themselves influence the context as well. Individuals interact
with context in two directions.
PRINCIPLE 4: The developmental antecedents and consequences of life
The principle transitions, events, and behavioural patterns vary according to
of timing their timing in a person’s life. Not only the OR of a life plays a
role, but also the WHEN it happens. When a person has its first
child determines the total number of children that this person
will have. When something happens.
PRINCIPLE 5: Lives are lived interdependently, and socio-historical influences
The principle are expressed through this network of shared relationships.
of linked What other people do have impact on our lives. Especially
lives family members are connected but also different network types
3
, like colleagues. For example, an adult decides if en when his
own parent will become a grandparent.
The epidemiological model of the life course (Blane):
Longitudinal research in health is called life
course epidemiology nowadays. The 3 life
course mechanism according to Blane are:
accumulation, pathway and critical period.
Accumulation (mechanism 1)
Advantages and disadvantages tend to cluster cross-sectionally and accumulate
longitudinally. For example, you are working at an unhealthy place, and you have
an unhealthy house, they cluster at more than one time, and they accumulate
longitudinally. Child + adulthood + old age. This social process may typically
have a major impact on health through the accumulation of multiple relatively
minor effects. Same-colored domino bricks that fall down in a chain.
Pathway (mechanism 2)
Early advantages and disadvantages set a person on a pathway to a later
exposure that is causal for a later outcome. Longer educational careers
(pathway) tend to delay first pregnancy (aetiologically important event) and the
increasing risk of breast cancer. A pathway to later exposure. Different-colored
domino bricks that fall down.
Critical period (mechanism 3)
An event/circumstances taking place in a certain time period which has stronger
impact. Like in the childhood where psycho-social stress at the time of brain
maturation may both inhibit child
growth and mis-set the developing Blood Pressure (BP) control mechanisms,
producing later high BP (hypertension). In the young adulthood is it the scarring
effect of youth unemployment with lower wages in later career and then you get
lower paid than your abilities. So, it is taking place in a certain time period in the
life course (childhood for example).
A sociological model of the life course (Buchmann):
It combines the scope of analysis and
the level of analysis. The level is about
structural and cultural. The scope is
micro and macro sociological. It makes
the combinations:
4
Karel Neels
Jorik Vergauwen
Exam: 1 or 2 knowledge questions, 1 question on deeper insights with maybe a
figure in the content and 1 question about the literature sheet. So, 3 or 4
questions in total.
Class 1 – The life course paradigm
The course of life is conceived as a succession of positions that an individual
occupies over time. An important distinction is that between (life) events and
position. Events mark the transition between two positions, while a position is
enclosed between two events. In this class, we are going to talk about positions,
time and events. Positions because you have a position as a student. Time is an
important indicator because there is always a clock involved. Event is the
transition between two positions.
The life course paradigm is multidisciplinary (psychology, demography, sociology,
economics) and had different (sociological, epidemiological) theoretical and
methodological perspectives. We will focus on the sociological perspective.
When you use the life course as a research object, it is the dependent variable.
We look at structures and institutions that influence the life course (sociological
perspective).
You have not one, but many different life courses: family, labour, education,
income,…
Historical development of the life course paradigm
The North-American life course perspective this is the founding father.
Before the life course paradigm, there was snapchot research where they are
looking at the impact of social structure on individual life (cross-sectional
research design where you look at different age groups in 1 point of time). But
next to the snapchot research, you also had the movie-like research where they
are looking at the unfolding of individual lives (qualitative studies and making a
description). The family was considered to be the most important link between
the process of social change and the personal course of life. The family was
central to social change and the course of life.
The patriarch perspective (Elder) in 1930s, there was an economic
depression in the US, this was called the great depression. This had impact on
later life, depending on birth cohort and social class. Elder was interested how
the depression influenced the daily life. Elder considered 3 cohorts: boston (early
20th century), oakland (1920s) and Berkeley (1928-1929). The great depression
affects the life course of the cohorts in different ways (see page 2).
The institutional approach social construction of the life course is affected
by the nation-state (Mayer 1989). Legal construction of the individual.
Institutional differentiation: the development of the welfare state after WWII.
Policy based on universal criteria, often by chronological age. Standardizing life
course by rights and obligations (compulsory education and allowed to retire).
Structuring and integration where transitions between life phases formalized
(gaining a school degree). Design of social policy changed because there
1
,becomes availability of childcare affects female labour force participation and
unemployment benefits depend on earlier labour market activity. The normative
models of LF behavior can change.
The political economy close relationship between (welfare) state, (labour)
market and the family. Focus more on life course stratification: social inequality
through constellation welfare
state regime. For example, countries with unsupportive female labour market
policies. Conflict.
How you structure the life course often comes with new social problems. New
things that need to be addressed. You have to give a new meaning to it. If you go
back to the 18-19 century, then there did not exist a childhood like we know now.
There was child labour etc. In the 20th century, education was more likely and
children became more dependent to their parents. In the second half of the 20 th
century, there was a higher life expectancy. New life stages originate because of
new social problems. This is an institutional approach.
Children of the Great Depression (1974) – Boston cohort
Children who were born in the earlies 20 century and they were adults in the
great depression. The finding was there a link between economic context and life
course of the child through psychological and economic adjustments. You saw
three different things:
Division of labor: the loss of income by the head of the household was
absorbed by, increased paid work by mothers and sons, increasing the labor-
intensive household activities by daughters and the responsibility for the
family shifted from the (male) breadwinner to the mother and the older
children.
Change in family relationships: the relative influence of the mother increased,
control by the parents decreased and the father role was less appreciated and
the consequence was status loss and tensions within the family.
Greater impact for poorer, working-class families & girls: daughters of the
most deprived families became more focused on performing household
chores, raising children and the family in general. Also, the reduced
supervision by the parents, combined with the increase in household
responsibilities, resulted in a lower level of education for both the boys and
the girls from the more deprived families. And boys from the more deprived
families were more focused on gaining economic independence. This resulted
in a work ethic through which the disadvantages of a poor career education
were eliminated.
Children of the Great Depression (1974) – Other cohorts
(Lasting) impact strongly dependent on life course stage during G.D. You saw
different things:
Oakland cohort: less family and work responsibilities during 1930s, hence less
affected. Transition to adulthood coincided with mobilization World War II,
which weakened the link with the great depression, much greater influence.
Less infected.
Berkley cohort: this was the youngest cohort. The impact of the Great
Depression runs via disadvantaged early childhood circumstances.
2
,Principles of the LC paradigm (Elder): the LIFE-SPAN development, the
agency principle, the principle of time and place, the principle of timing, the
principle of linked lives.
PRINCIPLE 1: Human development and aging are lifelong processes. Human
the principle development does not stop at 18 years. They learn and adapt
of LIFE-SPAN through the whole life. Things in the past can have an impact on
development the future. Study choice gives a direction on the labor
market. Period of unemployment leads to search behavior.
Divorce parents impacts risk of your own divorce. Leaving
home influence income trajectory.
PRINCIPLE 2: Individuals construct their own life course through the choices
The agency and actions they take within the opportunities and constraints of
principle history and social circumstance. Choices are situated within
social structures and historical and geographical contexts. A
woman can choose to enter the labor market, but the freedom
of choice of a single mother is different from that of a school-
leaver, but the freedom of choice of a (generationally) poor
woman is different from that of a middle-class woman. There
can be different circumstances, and you can have different
agency.
PRINCIPLE 3: The life course of individuals is embedded and shaped by the
The principle historical times and places they experience over their lifetime.
of time and The (evolving) legal context determines the life course.
place Economic recession or a war determines the life course (turning
points are the WWII, Arabic Spring Revolution, a
pandemic). Extending compulsory education has an impact on
the life course of those who study longer. A recession has an
impact on the saving behavior of individuals. But life courses
themselves influence the context as well. Individuals interact
with context in two directions.
PRINCIPLE 4: The developmental antecedents and consequences of life
The principle transitions, events, and behavioural patterns vary according to
of timing their timing in a person’s life. Not only the OR of a life plays a
role, but also the WHEN it happens. When a person has its first
child determines the total number of children that this person
will have. When something happens.
PRINCIPLE 5: Lives are lived interdependently, and socio-historical influences
The principle are expressed through this network of shared relationships.
of linked What other people do have impact on our lives. Especially
lives family members are connected but also different network types
3
, like colleagues. For example, an adult decides if en when his
own parent will become a grandparent.
The epidemiological model of the life course (Blane):
Longitudinal research in health is called life
course epidemiology nowadays. The 3 life
course mechanism according to Blane are:
accumulation, pathway and critical period.
Accumulation (mechanism 1)
Advantages and disadvantages tend to cluster cross-sectionally and accumulate
longitudinally. For example, you are working at an unhealthy place, and you have
an unhealthy house, they cluster at more than one time, and they accumulate
longitudinally. Child + adulthood + old age. This social process may typically
have a major impact on health through the accumulation of multiple relatively
minor effects. Same-colored domino bricks that fall down in a chain.
Pathway (mechanism 2)
Early advantages and disadvantages set a person on a pathway to a later
exposure that is causal for a later outcome. Longer educational careers
(pathway) tend to delay first pregnancy (aetiologically important event) and the
increasing risk of breast cancer. A pathway to later exposure. Different-colored
domino bricks that fall down.
Critical period (mechanism 3)
An event/circumstances taking place in a certain time period which has stronger
impact. Like in the childhood where psycho-social stress at the time of brain
maturation may both inhibit child
growth and mis-set the developing Blood Pressure (BP) control mechanisms,
producing later high BP (hypertension). In the young adulthood is it the scarring
effect of youth unemployment with lower wages in later career and then you get
lower paid than your abilities. So, it is taking place in a certain time period in the
life course (childhood for example).
A sociological model of the life course (Buchmann):
It combines the scope of analysis and
the level of analysis. The level is about
structural and cultural. The scope is
micro and macro sociological. It makes
the combinations:
4
