Methodological Issues in the Analysis of Family Formation and Dissolution

Family.formation and dissolution is a process by which individuals make transitions between different statuses, such as married or not married. These family life-course transitions can be characterized by their number, timing, and sequence. While significant changes in these three dimensions of life-course transitions have been documented in recent decades, appropriate methodological tools for uncovering the determinants of such changes have not been generally available. This paper describes a methodological technique, proportional hazards models, which allows researchers to investigate variations in the number, timing, and sequence of life-course transitions in a multivariate framework. The technique is illustrated by an analysis of marital dissolution in a sample of white women.