Social and economic behavior of people in the perspective of the life course concept

Abstract

The article describes the making of the life course concept in the sociology. The authors explain how the research potential of the concept can structure the study of the life events in the life of modern human. The article is methodological; it aims at acquainting the reader with the tools of the life course concept using certain examples. A special attention was paid to the graphics. Based on the quantitative data, the event history analysis, in particular the Cox regression (used for the individual`s first labor market entry) is applied. The generation born in the 1970s has least probability of employment; whereas the generation of the 1980s has lower probability of gaining the first job experience, but when they are getting closer to 30 they outstrip the generation of the 1960–1979s. The article also considers method of the consequence analysis little-known to sociologists. This method is used to show the change in status of the simulated generation of Russians aged between 1990 and 1999. In particular, the authors state that any generation faced unemployment but the generation that was most affected was born in 1969.