Gezinsverplichtingen in de vroege arbeidsloopbaan: werk- en gezinstrajecten van jongvolwassenen in Vlaanderen

Abstract

This article examines the diverse ways in which young adults develop both their professional careers and family lives in the early years after leaving school. Building a career and starting a family often occur simultaneously in this stage of life. By studying the developments in these life domains simultaneously, we contribute to a better understanding of this complex interplay. The data come from the Flemish SONAR survey and include 1,657 young adults born in 1976. These young adults were interviewed about their education, entry and first years on the labour market and union and family formation at ages 23, 26 and 29. Sequence analysis is applied to study the timing of union formation and having children, as well as how this relates to the work career. The result shows diverse work-family trajectories among these young adults. The findings from multinomial regression analyses indicate that these trajectories are determined by different dimensions of the educational career (duration, level, field of study). Education nevertheless is less relevant for men than for women. Men’s trajectories are more determined by the first job. The simultaneous approach to work and family in a life-course analysis brings the differences in the life paths of young adults clearly to the fore. It also shows how men can enjoy a more favorable run-up in the development of their careers than women, as the timing of family transitions occurs later in their working lives.