The timing of women's life course events in Turkey: cradle to the grave

Ismet Koc, Hacettepe University Institute of Population Studies
Mehmet Ali Eryurt, Hacettepe University Institute of Population Studies

Using a life course perspective, the proposed study will focus on the timing of women’s life course transitions, starting from cradle to the grave. The experience of different socio-demographic groups on sequential life course events (graduation/drop out, marriage, fertility, menopause and death) will be compared by employing the data from the Turkey Demographic and Health Survey, 2003. The sequential life course events will be examined based on a number of socio-demographic characteristics, specifically birth cohorts, educational status, ethnicity, and region and residence where women spent most of the childhood period. The preliminary results obtained from Kaplan-Maier Survival Analysis indicate that, on average, a woman in Turkey drops out/graduates the school at age 11,7, marries at age 20,6, becomes mother at 22,2, has second, third and fourth child at age 24,3, 29,7 and 31,8 respectively, stops menstruation at age 47,3 and dies at age 68,8. The sequence of events implies that an average woman in Turkey spends 39 percent of her life under exposure of fertility. In terms of timing of life course events substantial differentiation has been observed by almost all socio-demographic groups. After presenting the global picture for Turkey as whole, the study will discuss the timing of life course events of different socio-demographic groups in a comparative manner.