The Structure of the Life Course: Gender and Racioethnic Variation in the Occurrence and Sequencing of Role Transitions

There is an on-going debate among life course scholars regarding the extent to which the life course is becoming more individualized. Before speaking on this issue, however, more information is needed regarding the actual structure of the life course. We define that structure in terms of the occurrence of role transitions and the order in which these transitions are experienced. Using current and retrospective life history information reported in the National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH), we focus on the distribution of work and family role transitions and then examine the order (or sequencing) in which these social roles are both acquired and lost across the life course, paying particular attention to gender and racioethnic variation. Findings suggest that most adults are situated in three role positions: married, working parent. Yet, men are more likely than women to be working and African-American and Latino women are more likely to be in parenting roles. In an examination of role sequencing, evidence was found for a “normative” life course where most adults first find work, then marry, and later have children. Despite this prevalent pattern, more variation in sequencing behavior is evident among women and ethnic minorities. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of these findings for the individualization hypothesis.