Sequence Analysis of BHPS Life Courses Data

We apply a methodology for clustering data from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) on employment and family trajectories of women. We represent life courses as sequences on a monthly time scale and we apply optimal matching analysis to compute dissimilarities between individuals. We then use standard clustering algorithms to identify distinctive groups. As the interpretation and presentation of cluster analysis of life-course data is an important and still unresolved issue, we elaborate on possible approaches for how to best illustrate the composition of groups. Our results are interpreted in light of the socio-demographic literature.