The Timing of Life: Understanding Cross-National Differences in the Organization of the Life Course in Europe
Abstract
The general objective of the Timing of Life Project is to explain variations in the views of European men and women on the organization of the life course. To do so, three main research questions will be answered:
To what extent is the life course perceived as a structured sequence of life stages, and which events mark the transition from one stage to another?
Do social norms concerning the life course exist, and if so, to what extent are these norms backed by sanctions?
To what extent and in what ways do individuals engage in active life planning?
These questions are answered in four projects (3 IPs, 1 AP) that all use a comparative perspective, largely the same background factors (both individual and contextual), and make use of data from the Timing of Life module in the 2006 wave of the ESS.
Multi-level analyses will be conducted, with individuals, regions and countries as the three levels. Contextual data will include information on welfare, demographic and gender regimes, as well as on culture. These data will be collected from existing data source, a.o. New Cronos, OECD and the ESS contextual database.
Project Leader:
Professor Aart C. Liefbroer, Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI), The Hague, The Netherlands
Principal Investigators:
Dr. Zsolt Spéder, Hungarian Central Statistical Office, Budapest, Hungary
Professor Gunhild Hagestad, Agder University College, Kristiansand, Norway
Associated Partners:
Professor Arnstein Aassve, Bocconi University, Milano, Italy
Professor Francesco Billari, Bocconi University, Milano, Italy
