本文使用多重生命表模型，以1980年與1999年「臺閩地區人口統計」的婚姻動態登記資料，以及1992年「臺灣地區家庭計畫與生育保健狀況調查」之生育資料，建立臺灣的8種家庭生活歷程。結果顯示傳統的核心家庭，也就是依結婚、生育、爾後配偶或自己死亡之順序者，是最普遍的家庭生活歷程，但其比例已從1980年的79%下降到1999年的54%。而經歷離婚者的比例則大幅增加，特別是離婚之前已有生育，離婚之後未再婚的部份，從1980年的2.7%上升到1999年的8.1%。如果按有無子女來分，1980年時沒有子女的家庭佔15.8%，1999年則達33.7%。另外，我們以事件發生的平均年齡來呈現家庭生活歷程的階段分割點，結果顯示有子女家庭其歷程於20年間的變化並不大，臺灣家庭生活歷程的變化主要來自於無子女家庭。

This paper uses a multi-state life-table model to construct eight categories of female family life, which illustrate the changes that have occurred between 1980 and 1999. The data is from the marriage dynamic registration data in 1980 and 1999 Taiwan-Fujian Population Statistics and also the fertility data in 1992 Taiwan Regional Family Planning and Fertility Health Survey. The results indicate that the classical nuclear family life­course-which is defined as a female that married, had children, and is together until one of the couple dies-was the most popular type in both 1980 and 1999, though it declined in prevalence from 79% to 54%. Meanwhile, the proportion of family life-courses with a divorce stage-especially those that had children and then did not re-marry-rose from 2.7% in 1980 to 8.1% in 1999. The proportion of family life-courses without any children is also increasing, from 15.8% in 1980 to 33.7% in 1999. For families with children, the mean ages of females at marriage, child bearing and death has not changed in the past twenty years. For families without children, the mean ages of females at which these defining events occurred has changed significantly.