Transitions

List of Contributors

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction: The Historical Study of the Life Course

The Family Cycle

The Historical Study of the Life Course

Methodology

Agenda for Future Research

References


1 Family History and the Life Course

The Life Course as a Perspective

The Timing and Order of Events: Cause and Consequence

Temporal Patterns in Marriage and the Family

Social Change in the Life Course

The Family Cycle and Life Course

Overview

References


2 Changing Configurations of the Life Course

Conceptual Framework

Data Available from Census and Vital Statistics Reports

Major Demographic Trends in the United States Since 1870

Successive Cohorts during Childhood

Life-Course Patterns during Adult Years

Cohorts as They Enter Old Age

Conclusion

References


3 The Setting: The Essex County Context


4 Marriage and Family Formation

The Essex Sample

References


5 From Fireside to Factory: School Entry and School Leaving in Nineteenth-Century Massachusetts

Introduction

Schooling and Child Labor in Essex County, 1860-1880

Multiple Classification Analysis of School Attendance in 1860 and 1880

Conclusion

Appendix: The Uses of Multiple Classification Analysis

References


6 Women's Work and the Life Course in Essex County, Massachusetts, 1880

Background

Data

Findings

Conclusion

References


7 Family Transitions into Old Age

Data and Methods

General Pattern

Changing Economic Conditions

References


8 Transitions: Patterns of Timing

Factors Affecting Transitions

The Pace and Sequence of Transitions

The Impact of Ethnicity and Class

Family Economy and the Timing of Transitions

Communities and Local Markets

Historical Implications

References


9 Economic Perspectives on the Life Course

Economic Variables and the Life Course

Budget Constraints

Alternative Responses to Economic Change

Concluding Remarks

References


10 Comparative Notes on the Life Course

Index