Fewer young people respond to these 5 steps generally associated with adulthood

Fewer young adults reach economic and family milestones generally associated with adulthood, according to a recent working document from the US Census Bureau.

The newspaper examined representative data at the national level of 2005 and 2023 to examine the changes in the experiences of young adults reaching major life events, such as leaving their parents’ house, getting married and having a child. The researchers have found a spectacular change in the realization of these stages in recent decades.

The reason for this, according to the newspaper, is that more young adults aged 25 to 34 are faced with economic barriers compared to previous generations. The evolution of societal attitudes with regard to family training also contributes to the sharp drop in the share of young people reaching what the US Census Bureau considers “key milestones”.

According to the working document, “changes in adulthood stages”, almost half of all young adults in 1975 had reached four stages associated with adulthood: leaving your parents’ home, finding a job, getting married and having a child.

Five decades later, this progression has radically changed. The share of young adults who followed the traditional path to adulthood has fallen within a quarter, according to the newspaper.

“… Life agreements, economic opportunities and attitudes towards family training have not been experienced in the same way through generations of young adults,” said the work journal. “The increase in the turbulence of jobs and economic slowdowns, for example, has led some young adults to sail in more volatile and uncertain economic environments.”

Economic conditions, combined with the evolution of cultural norms, “have implications for the way young people develop their identity as adults,” said the newspaper.

This redefinition of the young adult is the cost of Essential everydayIncluding accommodation, food, gas and daycare. Consequently, more Americans choose to give up a family, in some cases because they consider such unaffordable choices, according to the study.

The researchers also measured the changes in the realization of individual milestones. While a quarter of young adults reached four stages, 28% responded to two economic stages – leaving their parents’ houses and finding a job.

Women on the job market

In the 1970s, getting married, having a child and living independently, the second joint group of milestones of young people reached, alongside the completion of the four.

The gains of women on the job market, as well as the evolution of cultural attitudes, however, have led this combination of milestones to become less popular, notes the report.

The completion of education, another marker of adulthood, has overshadowed other milestones over the years, because an increasing number of young adults have registered in college, according to the newspaper.

“These higher levels of schooling lead to contemporary cohorts to spend a longer part of their life of young adults registered in higher education, potentially delaying other markers of adulthood such as entry into the active population or marriage,” said the working document.

Regarding the perceptions of adulthood, having a job has priority on marriage, because young adults see economic achievements as more directly linked to adulthood that they engage in a spouse.

“Marriage is increasingly considered a cornerstone of adulthood, something to be continued after reaching economic stability by finishing a formal education, establishing an independent cleaning and relying,” said the working document.