Intergenerational transmissions in the transition to adulthood: a mixed-methods life course approach

The remaining interviews were carried out in the period. The rest of budget was spent organising a final workshop (May 29-30 2018), 'Conceptualisations of Social Inequalities across Gender, Generations and over the Life Course'. Speakers included Prof. Andrew Abbott, University of Chicago USA; Prof. Wendy Bottero, University of Manchester; Prof. Ken Roberts, University of Liverpool; Prof. Sarah Irwin, University of Leeds, and Prof. Øystein Gullvåg Holter, University of Oslo. The book Transitions to Adulthood Through Recession. Youth and Inequality in a European Perspective (eds S. Irwin and A Nilsen) was published on Routledge early April 2018. In addition to the book five journal articles from the project (two that have been overlooked in previous reports)have been added. Vogt has had a number of paper presentations and interviews in the media. Nilsen was Visiting Professor at UCL, UK for the period autumn 2017-spring 2018, and had two short-term stays in London to collaborate with J. Brannen. She also had invited presentations. Three articles are under reviewing in international journals and one is in progress. Three books (one co-edited volume and two co-authored books, one in Norwegian), and book chapters are in various states of progress.

The main objective in this study is to examine and explore intergenerational transmissions of material and non-material resources in the transition to adulthood for men and women in three or four generation families. The project seeks to transcend boundar ies between the compartmentalised sociological fields of family sociology, life course sociology and studies of social mobility. Both quantitative and qualitative data will be analysed to study intergenerational transmissions of aspirations and ambitions, material, cultural and relational resources between members of three to four generation families. It will examine the critical transition phase from youth to adulthood including the transition to parenthood. Since this transition process is gendered, bot h men and women will be interviewed and included in survey samples. The mid-generation is selected from two different birth cohorts (1960-65; 1975-80) in order to study intra-country changes over period specific situations. Norway is the main national con text for the study. However collaboration with UK researchers in the analysis of European surveys and UK biographical data will provide the possibility for making cross-national comparisons on some of the topics addressed. These comparisons offer insight into how different structural contexts affect the quality and extent of intergenerational transmission patterns. The study is based on a life course perspective and a 'mixed method research strategy'. Theoretically the study will examine changes in the me aning of life course phases such as 'youth' and 'adulthood' across countries, cohorts, gender and generations. A combination of data that includes biographical interviews with members of intergenerational families will provide contextualised thick descrip tions of these issues set in historical and biographical time.