Education Systems as Life Course Policies?

The Example of Subnational Educational Regimes and Young Adults’ Family Transitions

verfasst von

Ariane Bertogg, Christian Imdorf

Abstract

This study investigates the role of subnational educational opportuni- ties for three typical transitions in young adulthood: 1) leaving the parental home, 2) starting to cohabit and 3) becoming a parent. Educational opportunities shape young adults’ life courses as they facilitate the accumulation of human capital, la- bour market entry and financial independence. Education systems and opportu- nities are part of transition regimes shaped by the specific cultural, economic and policy characteristics of a (subnational) context, and are thus likely to affect moving out and family formation.
Drawing on the example of Switzerland with its large cantonal variation in educational opportunities, we use longitudinal data from the TREE panel study to follow a cohort of young adults born in the mid-1980s from ages 16 to 29. Event history models show that larger shares of young people in vocational education at a cantonal level are associated with earlier moving out and parenthood, but later partnership formation. The influence of vocational opportunities is moderated by the presence of a university in the canton.

Organisationseinheit(en)

Institut für Soziologie

Externe Organisation(en)

Universität Konstanz

Typ

Artikel

Journal

Zeitschrift für Sozialreform

Band

70

Seiten

55–78

Anzahl der Seiten

23

Publikationsdatum

06.03.2024

Publikationsstatus

Veröffentlicht

Peer-reviewed

Ja

Elektronische Version(en)

https://doi.org/10.1515/zsr-2023-0013 (Zugang: Offen)