In the traditional representation of a housing career a discussion of mid-life housing transitions would almost seem unwarranted. Mid life has conventionally been seen as a period of consolidation and stability in the housing of individuals and households. In the past, at this stage of life, traditional patterns of behaviour, stable employment careers, and the demands of childrearing contributed to limited movements within the housing market. The middle years of life have been associated with the gradual transition from home purchase to outright ownership, accompanied by some limited upward movement through the housing market to better accommodate the needs of the family. Mid life in this representation of the relationship between housing and the life course is seen as the culmination of a household's housing aspirations and needs, where many households maximise their consumption of housing.

There is relatively little known about the housing position of persons in the middle years of their life, as the apparent stability of these households has not made them an attractive subject for research. Over the last few decades, however, the life course has become much more complex, differentiated and de-standardised as a result of economic growth, affluence, more mobile labour markets and in some households, growing instability. These changes have eroded traditional conceptions of stability in housing in mid life and while some households go through a period of quiescence relative to the housing market, a growing minority do not. Events and changes in the family life course have substantially reshaped mid-life housing transitions, resulting in widening differentials in the housing trajectories. Some households have taken advantage of their opportunities to accrue considerable wealth while others have experienced a less favourable life course that has interrupted, or significantly altered, their housing aspirations.

Family and the consumption of housing

Marriage and the birth of children have conventionally been seen as pivotal markers of the move from rental accommodation to home purchase (Neutze and Kendig, 1991). While societal change has meant that marriage per se and the arrival of the first child are not as universally important in the 21st century as previously, relationship formation and the birth of children remain critical to shaping transitions.