ABSTRACT
This chapter explores life course earnings, both personal and total household income, because this provides important clues to underlying potential economic needs and resources relevant to the intergenerational relations. It provides examination of the age distribution of our G2 sample of adults, whether and which of their parents are still alive, and what the average ages are of both G1 parents and G3 children of our main sample respondents. Age differences between generations look much sharper when we deal with statistical averages rather than the full age distribution of the generations. Defining phase of life in cohort terms facilitates the identification of major historical markers that characterize various phases of development of our respondents. More of the older respondents lost a mother than lost a father, whereas the reverse situation applies to younger respon- dents. The G2 respondents reported a variety of family troubles during the years they were growing up.
