Population Development Practice Test

Launching stage is the phase in the family life cycle when children leave home to establish independence, which commonly includes securing employment or further training. This is the period where vocational adjustments occur as the children seek jobs and set up their own households, while parents recalibrate their roles as they become empty-nesters. The beginning stage centers on forming a new couple and starting a family; expansion focuses on raising children; and the mature stage deals with middle age and aging rather than the transition to independence of young adults.