Okuzeka
Sociology vocabulary · Family, Gender and the Life Course

Life course

Meaning in sociology, with examples

nounCommon term

In sociology, life course means: The sequence of stages and transitions people go through over a lifetime, such as education, work, partnership, parenthood and retirement, seen as shaped by society and history.

In Turkish: yaşam seyri, yaşam süreci

How it is used

The life course approach, associated with Glen Elder, studies how historical events and social position shape when and how people make major transitions. Sociologists prefer it to the older idea of a fixed life cycle because the order of stages varies.

Example sentences

  1. The study follows the life course of people who were teenagers during the 2001 economic crisis in Turkey.

  2. Across the life course, women are more likely than men to take career breaks to care for others.

Common collocations

  • life course approach
  • life course transitions
  • across the life course
  • life course perspective
  • familyA group of people related by blood, marriage, partnership or adoption who usually share a home, resources and responsibility for raising children.
  • socialisationThe lifelong process through which people learn the norms, values, language and roles of their society and become members of it.
  • extended familyA family that includes relatives beyond parents and children, such as grandparents, aunts, uncles or cousins, who live together or keep close daily contact.
  • ascribed statusA social position given to a person at birth or later in life without any effort or choice on their part, such as sex, age, ethnicity or family background.

More terms: Family, Gender and the Life Course

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: