EARLY-LIFE TRANSITIONS OF CANADIAN WOMEN - A COHORT ANALYSIS OF TIMING, SEQUENCES, AND VARIATIONS

This paper looks into the timing and sequences of early life transitio ns of Canadian women using data from the 1995 General Social Survey of Family. Six events occurring in early adulthood are examined: school completion, first job, home-leaving, first cohabitation, first marriag e, and first birth. Our analysis of birth cohorts spanning 60 years sh ows that the biggest changes in timing occurred in school completion a nd start of work; that the trajectories involving work. before marriag e have gained popularity among later cohorts; and that education appre ciably delays early life transitions.