The life cycle approach is the analysis of women and men's behaviour and characteristics over the various stages of their lives: when they are children and live with their parents; when they enter and pass through the educational system; when they leave home; when they enter the labour market; when they marry; when they have children; and as they get older, etc.

 Gender roles emerge early in childhood and are present during the complete lifecycle. This contributes to the reaffirmation of gender stereotypes. Therefore, by presenting data according to the different stages in the life of individuals one is able to illuminate the underlying causes of gender differences and provide a useful tool for gender analysis.

 The life cycle approach can be used as a general framework for the analysis of a whole area or topic studied, such as time use or labour market participation. When presenting data, significant life events need not only be defined by age group but can also be presented alongside other relevant characteristics such as marital status, living arrangements, age of children, health, educational level, income, housing conditions, etc.

 Examples:

• Time use statistics (e.g. time spent in paid and unpaid work) presented by sex, age group, living arrangement, and number of children (by age).
• Participation in the labour market by sex, age, marital status, and number of children (by age).