scholarly journals Flexicurity in a life-course perspective

2004 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 282-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ute Klammer
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Time Allocation ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Main Section ◽  
The Third ◽  
Life Course Approach ◽  
Part Time ◽  
The Life Course

This article extends the analysis of flexicurity to take account of the life-course perspective; in the international flexicurity debate such an approach has so far not been systematically taken. The article focuses on the question of what options will be needed for time allocation in different phases of life and over the whole life of an individual, and what financial resources could be combined to finance those phases. The first section discusses methodological and conceptual issues related to flexicurity and the life course. In the second section, longitudinal data from Germany is presented to illustrate some of the relevant patterns of, and changes within, life courses. The third and main section deals with policy implications. Four crucial objectives of a flexicurity policy based on a life-course approach are identified, and a range of options to improve flexibility and security over the lifetime are discussed. These options include measures to increase time sovereignty, subsidised part-time schemes for care and lifelong learning, the use of accumulated pension savings to finance other activities during the course of working life, and the role of minimum provision in social security schemes.

scholarly journals A Longitudinal Study of Allostatic Load in Later Life: The Role of Sex, Birth Cohorts, and Risk Accumulation

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 419-442 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ioana van Deurzen ◽  
Bram Vanhoutte
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Allostatic Load ◽  
Later Life ◽  
The Body ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Birth Cohorts ◽  
Wear And Tear ◽  
The Life Course

Are challenging life courses associated with more wear and tear on the biological level? This study investigates this question from a life-course perspective by examining the influence of life-course risk accumulation on allostatic load (AL), considering the role of sex and birth cohorts. Using biomarker data collected over three waves (2004, 2008, and 2012) of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing ( N = 3,824) in a growth curve framework, AL trajectories over a period of 8 years are investigated. Our results illustrate that AL increases substantially in later life. Men have higher AL than women, but increases are similar for both sexes. Older cohorts have both higher levels and a steeper increase of AL over time. Higher risk accumulation over the life course goes hand in hand with higher AL levels and steeper trajectories, contributing to the body of evidence on cumulative (dis)advantage processes in later life.

Lo sviluppo dell'epidemiologia del life course

2009 ◽  
pp. 171-189
Author(s):  
David Blane ◽  
Juliet Stone ◽  
Gopal Netuveli
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Birth Cohort ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Life Course Epidemiology ◽  
Accumulation Model ◽  
Socio Economic Status ◽  
Life Course Approach ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Life Course

- The present paper reviews the development of life course epidemiology since its origins during the 1990s from biological programming, birth cohort research and the study of health inequalities. Methods of studying the life course are examined, including birth cohort studies, linked register datasets and epidemiological archaeology. Three models of life course epidemiology are described: critical periods, accumulation, and pathways. Their conceptual and empirical differentiation can be difficult, but it is argued that accumulation is the underlying social process driving life course trajectories, while the critical period and pathway models are distinguished by their concern with specific types of aetiological process. Among the advantages of the accumulation model are predictive power, aetiological insights, contributions to health inequality debates and social policy implications. It is emphasised that the life course approach is not opposed to, or an alternative to, a concern with cross-sectional and current effects; major social disruption can have a large and immediate impact on health. Other limitations of the life course approach include a spectrum of impact (life course effects can be strong in relation to physiology, but often are weaker in relation to behaviour and psychological reactions to everyday life) and, more speculatively, the possibility that life course effects are diluted in the older age groups where morbidity and mortality are highest. Three issues for the future of life course epidemiology are identified. Many life course data are collected retrospectively. We need to know which items of information are recalled with what degree of accuracy over how many decades; and what methods of collecting these retrospective data maximise accuracy and duration. Second, the two partners in life course research need to take more seriously each other's disciplines. Social scientists need to be more critical of such measures as self-assessed health, which lacks an aetiology and hence biological plausibility. Natural scientists need to be more critical of such concepts as socio-economic status, which lacks social plausibility because it fails to distinguish between social location and social prestige. Finally, European comparative studies can play an important part in the future development of life course epidemiology if they build on the emerging infrastructure of European comparative research. Key words: life course epidemiology, life course trajectories, life course data, social inequalities, accumulation model, socio-economic status. Parole chiave: epidemiologia del corso di vita, traiettorie di vita, dati del corso di vita, disuguaglianze sociali, modello di accumulazione, status socio-economico

scholarly journals OLDER WOMEN'S EXPERIENCES OF AGING: THE PHYSICAL, THE PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND THE SOCIAL

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S212-S213
Author(s):  
Nicky J Newton
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Life Transitions ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Social Aspects ◽  
Major Life ◽  
Life Course Approach ◽  
The Social ◽  
Qualitative Interview Study ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
Major Life Transitions

Abstract According to the life course perspective (Settersten, 2003), major life transitions are embedded in contexts shaped by personal history and social circumstances “as natural as the changing seasons” (Miller, 2010, p.663). Aging itself is perhaps the epitome of all transitions: a relatively measured movement through a series of situations, conditions, and social roles (Hettich, 2010); a transition that particularly lends itself to a life course approach. In this qualitative interview study, 37 women (Mage = 72.27) responded to questions regarding their experiences of the physical, psychological and social aspects of aging. While themes of inevitability and physical health were evident, the highly-personalized nature of aging was also underscored through individual themes of invisibility, freedom from expectations, fear of cognitive decline, and the quality and maintenance of friendships. Similarities and differences in women’s experience of aging are compared; the need to contextualize aging within the life course is discussed.

scholarly journals Polycystic ovarian syndrome: need for life course approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
pp. 2808
Author(s):  
Neha Dahiya ◽  
Aakanksha Bharti ◽  
Kritika Vats ◽  
Damodar Bachani
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome ◽  
Multidisciplinary Treatment ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Androgen Excess ◽  
Life Course Approach ◽  
Reproductive Disorder ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
Psychological Features ◽  
Ovarian Syndrome

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is one of the leading but treatable causes of infertility among women. PCOS is a heterogeneous condition therefore it involves multiple disciplines and there is a wide research and clinical agenda. The prevalence of PCOS in India among 15-24 year old adolescents and young girls was found by Rotterdam criteria to be 22.5% and by Androgen Excess Society criteria to be 10.7%. Earlier it was considered only as a reproductive disorder but now it includes metabolic and psychological features as well. Under diagnosis of PCOS remains to be problematic. This is a complex syndrome and has an influence throughout the lifespan and requires multidisciplinary treatment approach as well as self-management. The life course approach or life course theory or the life course perspective was explored in 1960’s. In this approach individual's lives are analyzed within structural, social, and cultural contexts.

scholarly journals A narrative synthesis scoping review of life course domains within health service utilisation frameworks

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary-Ann O'Donovan ◽  
Phillip McCallion ◽  
Mary McCarron ◽  
Louise Lynch ◽  
Hasheem Mannan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Service ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Health Service Utilisation ◽  
World Health ◽  
Service Utilisation ◽  
Life Course Approach ◽  
Behavioural Model ◽  
The Life Course

Background: Current thinking in health recognises the influence of early life experiences (health and otherwise) on later life outcomes. The life course approach has been embedded in the work of the World Health Organisation since the Ageing and Health programme was established in 1995. Yet there has been limited debate on the relevancy of a life course lens to understanding health service utilisation. Aim: The aim of the review was twofold. Firstly, identify existing healthcare utilisation frameworks other than the dominant Andersen’s behavioural model currently in use. Secondly, to identify if current frameworks incorporate the advocated life course perspective in understanding health service utilisation.     Methods: A scoping review of PubMed, Cinahl Plus, Emerald, PsycINFO, Web of Knowledge and Scopus was conducted. Data extraction used a framework approach with meta-synthesis guided by the four domains of the life course proposed by Elder (1979): human agency, location, temporality and relationships, and interdependencies. Results: A total of 551 papers were identified, with 70 unique frameworks (other than Andersen’s Behavioural Model) meeting the inclusion criteria and included in the review. Conclusion: To date there has been limited explicit discussion of health service utilisation from a life course perspective. The current review highlights a range of frameworks that draw on aspects of the life course, but have been used with this perspective in mind. The life course approach highlights important gaps in understanding and assessing health service utilisation (HSU), such as utilisation over time. HSU is a complex phenomenon and applying a structured framework from a life course perspective would be of benefit to researchers, practitioners and policy makers.

scholarly journals New Perspectives on Loneliness: From Micro Qualitative to Macro Quantitative Cross-National Comparisons

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 609-609
Author(s):  
Marja Aartsen
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Ecological Model ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Effective Prevention ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Longitudinal research revealed a number of micro-level drivers of loneliness, such as widowhood, exclusion from the wider society, ill health and migrant status, but a number of questions are still unanswered. For example, the prevalence of loneliness varies substantially across countries, but we do not know precisely what causes these differences. It may be due to differences in the composition of the populations, it may also be caused by macro-level drivers, or by variations in the impact of risk factors between countries. For example, losing a spouse may be loneliness provoking in countries where living with a partner is the norm, but less so in countries where living alone is more valued. Also how early childhood and events over the life course affect the level of loneliness in later life is still under-researched. The aim of our symposium is to address this gap by presenting different perspectives on loneliness and social isolation. The first presenter interprets five-year follow-up information from qualitative interviews with a life course perspective. The second investigates the role of trust as factor producing social integration, which leads to variations in loneliness. The third compares and discusses loneliness in three different continents, based on an ecological model of contexts. The forth presenter critically discusses ways to measure loneliness in societies that are culturally distinct from western cultures. The last presenter discusses the dynamics between loneliness and material deprivation in Europe. The findings provide a new lens through which we can understand loneliness and inform about effective prevention.

Developmental and Life-Course Criminology

2018 ◽  
pp. 2-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lila Kazemian ◽  
David P. Farrington ◽  
Alex R. Piquero
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Developmental Approach ◽  
Life Course Criminology ◽  
Focal Concerns ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Life Course Framework ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
Desistance From Crime

This chapter provides a brief overview of developmental and life-course criminology. These approaches are concerned with the study of the development of offending over the course of one's life, from onset to persistence and, eventually, desistance. Although these two theoretical approaches share many common features, they have distinctive focal concerns. Stemming from the field of sociology, the life-course perspective focuses attention on social structure and life events. The developmental approach, on the other hand, stems from the field of psychology and generally emphasizes the role of individual and psychological factors in the explanation of developmental processes. Moreover, the developmental approach investigates the onset of offending as well as the role of early risk and protective factors in the explanation of future offending. Meanwhile, the life-course framework examines the influence of turning points in offending trajectories and in the process of desistance from crime.

scholarly journals Becoming a refugee. A life-course approach to migration under duress

Sociologias ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (49) ◽  
pp. 110-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anja Weiß
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Refugee Status ◽  
Empirical Reality ◽  
Refugee Convention ◽  
Sociological Approach ◽  
Refugee Protection ◽  
Life Course Approach ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
Larger Sample

Abstract This article offers a sociological approach to the ongoing debate about the distinction between refugees and migrants. It adopts a life-course perspective on seeking refuge. Seeking refuge is embedded not only in the legal regimes of refugee protection, but also in other institutional frameworks governing the life-course. Exploring continuities between migrants and refugees allows for a better understanding of whether and under what preconditions the refugee category is applied by administrations and accessed by refugees themselves. With the help of case studies selected strategically from a larger sample of narrative interviews with university educated migrants to Germany, Turkey, and Canada, the article shows how the implementation and administration of the Geneva Refugee Convention in Germany is organized in a manner that often diverges from the empirical reality of fleeing from persecution and lack of protection. On this basis, a broader comparison with migrants in Turkey and Canada who could fall under the Geneva Refugee Convention, but who mostly refrain from claiming asylum, shows that those with better resources and socio-spatial autonomy can, if well informed, find alternative options for gaining protection rather than claiming refugee status. Whether migrants under duress see themselves as refugees and whether they claim asylum does not only result from the persecution they face but also from specificities of legal and administrative frameworks, as well as their position in global structural inequalities and it is related to divergent degrees of socio-spatial autonomy.

scholarly journals Influence of Social Connections on Smoking Behavior across the Life Course

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mieke Beth Thomeer ◽  
Elaine Hernandez ◽  
Debra Umberson ◽  
Patricia Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Smoking Status ◽  
Smoking Behavior ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Social Connections ◽  
Quit Smoking ◽  
Demographic Patterns ◽  
The Life Course

Although we know much about demographic patterns of smoking, we know less about people’s explanations for when, how and why they avoid, develop, or alter smoking habits and how these explanations are linked to social connections across the life course. We analyze data from in-depth interviews with 60 adults aged 25-89 from a large southwestern U.S. city to consider how social connections shape smoking behavior across the life course. Respondents provided explanations for how and why they avoided, initiated, continued, and/or quit smoking. At various times, social connections were viewed as having both positive and negative influences on smoking behavior. Both people who never smoked and continuous smokers pointed to the importance of early life social connections in shaping decisions to smoke or not smoke, and viewed later connections (e.g., marriage, coworkers) as less important. People who quit smoking or relapsed tended to attribute their smoking behavior to social connections in adulthood rather than early life. People who changed their smoking behavior highlighted the importance of transitions as related to social connections, with more instability in social connections often discussed by relapsed smokers as a reason for instability in smoking status. A qualitative approach together with a life course perspective highlights the pivotal role of social connections in shaping trajectories of smoking behavior throughout the life course.

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