Does youth matter? Long-term effects of youth characteristics on the diversity of partnership trajectories

Abstract

Previous research has mainly concentrated on the study of certain transitions and the influence of economic and socio-structural factors on partnership status. From a life course perspective, it remains unclear how factors anchored in youth are related to the diversity of partnership biographies. Arguing that individuals act and behave based on prior experiences and resources, I analyse how personal and social resources as well as socio-demographic characteristics influence the turbulence of longitudinal partnership trajectories.Using a longitudinal dataset from the German LifE Study, I examine partnership histories from the ages 16 to 45. The results suggest that in addition to the influence of an individual’s socio-demographic placement (for example, religious commitment and regional living conditions), personal and social resources anchored in youth also have a long-term effect on the diversity of partnership trajectories. This article shows that women are influenced by their attitudes towards marriage and family, while men are influenced by their attitudes towards their careers.