Changing Times? On the Differentiation of Work Life Courses in West Germany

To investigate the contemporary destandardization & individualization of life courses, questionnaire data obtained in 1984 from 8,983 West Germans ages 15-65 are analyzed, focusing on changes for men & women in terms of career paths. Analysis reveals that the 1950s-1960s were a period of ver...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Zeitschrift für Soziologie 1992-06, Vol.21 (3), p.166-185
Main Authors: Berger, Peter A, Sopp, Peter
Format: Article
Language:ger
Subjects:
Careers
Family Work Relationship
Federal Republic of Germany
Sex Differences
Working Women
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:To investigate the contemporary destandardization & individualization of life courses, questionnaire data obtained in 1984 from 8,983 West Germans ages 15-65 are analyzed, focusing on changes for men & women in terms of career paths. Analysis reveals that the 1950s-1960s were a period of very high stability & low heterogeneity in the labor force. However, due to educational expansion & to labor market deregulation & crises, instability has increased & the normal career trajectory for men has lost its dominance, especially for the young. For women, the housewife model remains strong, but a growing number are following life courses similar to those of men. As such, a polarization is occurring between family-oriented & career-oriented life paths. 2 Figures, 1 Appendix, 90 References. Adapted from the source document as translated by M. Meeks.
ISSN:0340-1804