What's the Latest? Cultural Age Deadlines for Family Transitions

Abstract

Several questions about the degree to which cultural schedules exist for the timing of life transitions, as well as the nature of these schedules, remain unexplored. In this article, we examine age timetables for central family transitions. Do individuals perceive age deadlines for these transitions, and by what ages do they think that men or women should have experienced them? How much consensus exists about these deadlines? Why are they considered important, and what consequences are perceived for men or women who miss them? A key theoretical question with which we are concerned is whether contemporary thinking about these deadlines can be considered "normative." A random sample of 319 adults from the Chicago metropolitan area were interviewed about eleven separate life-course transitions, six of which were from the family sphere. By and large, the majority of respondents perceived deadlines for most of the family transitions discussed. While the deadlines cited were quite variable in range, they were also concentrated within a narrow band of ages. The dimensions underlying individuals' thinking about deadlines were centered primarily on the development of self and personality, or were linked to concerns about the sequencing of roles and experiences over lifetime. However, late timing was generally thought to be acceptable, accompanied by little social tension, and without consequences for the individual's life or the lives of other persons to whom one is intimately connected. While a rough, "normal biography" of family life existed in the minds of our respondents, the deadlines attached to that biography were flexible guidelines for the course of family life, not rigid, normative principles. These findings are discussed in light of recent debates about life-course theory and research.

Deadline for Parenthood: Fertility Postponement and Age Norms in Poland

“…The most commonly mentioned deadline for entering parenthood is age 30, and it mostly, although not exclusively, refers to the age of a woman. The explanations given for this deadline are consistent with those already found in the literature (Perelli-Harris 2005;Potančoková 2009;Settersten 1999;Settersten and Haegestad 1996): the strongest argument relates to the biological clock of a woman and the limits of her fertility. Our data show that these concerns do have an impact on individual fertility choices.…”

“…Research shows that the delay in childbearing is more marked when having children later in life is culturally approved (Morgan 1991). It has also been argued that flexible and loose age norms are some of the reasons for the changes in the timing of childbearing (Castro Martin 1992; Rindfuss et al 1996;Settersten and Haegestad 1996). Therefore, it seems justified to suspect that the sustained patterns of early childbearing are supported by more universal and strict age norms.…”

Educational differences in timing and quantum of childbearing in Britain

“…However, postponement may result in a reduction in the total number of children achieved by highly educated women as a result of the decline in fecundity at older ages (Leridon and Slama 2008;Schmidt et al 2012), the influence of cultural age timetables (Settersten and Hagestad 1996;Billari et al 2010), and the downward adjustment with rising age of fertility intentions (Berrington 2004;Liefbroer 2009;Iacovou and Tavares 2011).…”

Exploring social norms around cohabitation: The life course, individualization, and culture

“…Norms can be associated with sanctions, which are either positive (encouraging the taking up of a given conduct) or negative (discouraging the behavior by teasing, stigmatization, or social exclusion). People approve or disapprove of others' behavior and may deliver rewards and punishments (Marini 1984;Settersten and Hägestad 1996;Bernardi 2003). When social norms are institutionalized, sanctions may be inscribed into the legal system, or the related sanctions may go beyond the level of informal conventions or approval and lead to social exclusion.…”

“…Social norms related to life course transitions define the type, the timing, and the order of events, giving cultural guidelines for organizing and regulating the transitions (Heckhausen 1999;Settersten and Hägestad 1996). On the one hand, social norms are still highly relevant to family behavior, even in societies that are characterized by high degrees of individualization .…”