Families and changing life cycles

Until recently, the dominant family type, the nuclear family (husband, wife and their own children) followed a traditional life cycle. Nowadays, most modern-industrialised countries have entered an era of new biographic models. People have a wide choice in selecting their own life course menu. A typology consisting of four family types - the traditional, the modern, the egalitarian and the individualised - is used to explore the consequences of changing life cycles. In the second section the connection between traditional life cycle, wealth and well-being is analysed. In the period of honeymooners and the period of post parenthood households have a relative a high wealth and well-being. During both stages no children are living in the household. In the 1950s and 1960s a paradox emerged. The level of education of boys and girls increased. A first consequence was an increase in female labour force participation. But men and women become also less dependent on traditional family values and family life for fulfilling a variety of needs. This led to the emergence of other family types, next to the traditional one. There are two major problems with the non-traditional family types and lifestyles: fertility and divorce. Policy makers have to pay more attention to the pluralism of family lifestyles and family types, and especially to the position of children.