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The Persistence of the Standardized Life Cycle

Mark Elchardus

Vrije Universiteit Brussel, member of the research group TOR (tempus omnia revelat); Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium mark.elchardus{at}vub.ac.be

Wendy Smits

Vrije Universiteit Brussel, member of the research group TOR; Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium wendy.smits{at}vub.ac.be

This article investigates to what degree the standardized life cycle has been replaced by an individualized life course, characterized by the absence of a strict sequence and timing of life's transitions. In order to measure the normative position of people, rather than the external conditions to which they are subject, the test is based on the ideal life course or life cycle as described by a purely random sample of 4666 inhabitants of Belgium, aged 18 to 36. The available evidence overwhelmingly points towards the persistence of a standardized ideal life cycle, characterized by a strict sequence and timing of the important transitions.

Key Words: individualization • life cycle • open future • sequence • timing

Time & Society, Vol. 15, No. 2-3, 303-326 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/0961463X06066944
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