coordinator: Melinda Mills

This research line focuses on inequalities in the life course and adopts a multi-level theoretical model to examine the interrelation between individuals and their institutional context over the life span. The projects within this research group are theory and problem-driven using large-scale empirical data. The research line specifically focuses on three interrelated topics: (1) cross-national comparative empirical research, examining how life courses are affected by larger macro-level societal changes (e.g., globalization, recession) and how institutions (e.g., welfare regimes, gender systems) ‘filter' individual opportunities and constraints; (2) relationship between the family and employment spheres of the life course; and, (3) a focus on empirical modelling of the life course using advanced event history techniques.

The research line is coordinated by Melinda Mills. Projects are embedded into three international networks, two of which are European Science Foundation (ESF) research networks, where Mills is a Steering Committee member and/or project initiator. The first is the ESF TransEurope Research Network (Transnationalisation and Changing Life Course Inequality in Europe) initiated by Mills and Hans-Peter Blossfeld in cooperation with researchers in: Austria, Germany, Sweden, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Belgium and the Netherlands. This project is an extension of the GLOBALIFE (Life Courses in the Globalization Process) project, a finalist for the European Research Council Descartes Award in 2007. The second network is the ‘Analyzing the Life Course' group of ESF's Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences-2, with researchers across Europe. The third collaboration is the project Register-based Research in Nordic Demography, funded by the Swedish Research Council (led by Gunnar Andersson).

Other projects within this research line include the NWO-funded project of Kadri Täht on ‘Non-standard Work Schedules and Family Cohesion: An International Comparison of the Netherlands and the United States' (together with Harry Ganzeboom, VU). Katya Ivanova examines: ‘Adolescent Romantic Relationships: Processes, Triggers, and Consequences,' (together with René Veenstra). Katia Begall studies: ‘Occupational Hazard? The impact of Occupation on Fertility' (together with Rudi Wielers) and Nicoletta Balbo is undertaking the project ‘Personal networks and fertility: the role of social capital and interaction on fertility decision-making' (together with Christian Steglich). The research group also includes Research Master students studying related topics and is an international group consisting of around seven nationalities.

The research line continues to organize frequent events, including the ESF/ECSR Summer School: ‘Globalization, Social Inequality and the Life Course: Comparative Methodological Approaches', August 27-31, 2007 and the ESF/ESCR conference ‘Globalization, Social Inequality and the Life Course', September 01-02, 2007 in Groningen. In 2009, Mills and several research members are instructors at the QMSS-2 Summer School, ‘Introduction to event history analysis with a special focus on cross-national comparisons', August 18-26, 2009 in Paris. Two additional workshops in 2009 organized by this group in Groningen are the QMSS2 Workshop ‘Advances in Quantitative Methods in Family and Fertility Research' (Oct. 15-17) and an accompanying ‘Young Researchers Workshop' (Oct. 17-18).