Patterns of family life courses in Europe – between standardization and diversity. A cross-national comparison of family trajectories and life course norms in European countries

Based on data from the ESS, round 3 we investigate 1) to what degree there still exist standardized patterns in the timing and sequencing of family transitions, 2) the relationship between family patterns and socially established norms. Our results confirm that the degree of destandardization varies across Europe. The most obvious tensions between rather traditional family patterns and liberalised norms were identified in Southern Europe.