Exploring Life-Course Trajectories in Local Spatial Contexts Across Sweden

This article explores typical life-course trajectories based on annual observations of educational participation, employment, and establishing a family from age sixteen to thirty. Using latent class analysis, we identify seven different trajectory classes that capture the life courses experienced by individuals born in 1986. Examples are (1) an early partner childbearing trajectory; (2) mixes employment long postsecondary education into later twenties; (3) involving low activity, very little education, not starting family. The identified correspond closely found earlier qualitative studies using life-history interviews, but contrast these each encompass few dozen or less, our approach identifies for entire birth cohort. allows analysis geographical distribution across regions, municipality types, neighborhoods. Individuals following were heavily concentrated metropolitan areas university towns. At same age, instead peripheral, rural areas. nonmetropolitan also tend follow more gender-polarized trajectories. Moreover, find there is trajectory-based segregation at thirty than fifteen. Theoretically, study gives support idea places structured basis Local context influences how linked and, time, spatial sorting will shape local contexts.