ArticlePDF Available

On the frontier of adulthood: Emerging themes and new directions

Authors:

Abstract

Ages 18 and 21 are milestones in a young person’s life. In the eyes of the law and society, they have crossed the threshold of adulthood. In reality, however, by age 21, few young people today would actually be considered “adult” based on the traditional markers—leaving home, finishing school, starting a job, getting married, and having children. More youth are extending education, living at home longer, and moving haltingly, or stopping altogether, along the stepping stones of adulthood. A new period of life is emerging in which young people are no longer adolescents but not yet adults. Yet, are today’s youth truly disinterested in moving into adulthood, or is it that changes in the world around them have altered the very contour and content of early adult life? (PDF) On the frontier of adulthood: Emerging themes and new directions. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281263179_On_the_frontier_of_adulthood_Emerging_themes_and_new_directions [accessed Oct 08 2019].
(over)
October 2004, Issue 1
On the Frontier of Adulthood:
Emerging Themes and New Directions
Frank F. Furstenberg, Jr., Rubén G. Rumbaut, and Richard A. Settersten, Jr.
Ages 18 and 21 are milestones in a young person’s life. In the eyes of the law and society, they have crossed the
threshold of adulthood. In reality, however, by age 21, few young people today would actually be considered “adult
based on the traditional markers—leaving home, finishing school, starting a job, getting married, and having
children. More youth are extending education, living at home longer, and moving haltingly, or stopping altogether,
along the stepping stones of adulthood. A new period of life is emerging in which young people are no longer
adolescents but not yet adults. Yet, are today’s youth truly disinterested in moving into adulthood, or is it that
changes in the world around them have altered the very contour and content of early adult life?
A multidisciplinary team of scholars, brought together by the Research Network on Transitions to Adulthood and
Public Policy, and funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, is exploring these and other
questions with arguably the best secondary data sources available. The results are compiled in the book On the
Frontier of Adulthood to be published by the University of Chicago Press in late 2004.
Although pinpointing the onset of adulthood is not easy, it is most certainly not the magic age of 18 or 21 that is
most often used to define adulthood in social policies and the law. Today, the authors find, entry into adulthood is
longer, more ambiguous, and generally occurs in a more complex and less uniform fashion than in the past. Young
people, however, are not necessarily unwilling to take on adult roles. If anything, the opposite is occurring, as young
people now seem more aware of what it takes to be autonomous and are disinclined to take on commitments they
cannot honor.
An Emerging Stage of Life
The idea of adolescence as a distinct period of life emerged in the early twentieth century as major cultural and
economic shifts took hold. Schooling became more universal, and the economic base moved from agriculture to
industry, leaving teens no longer as readily suited to employment as in prior generations. Just as then, we are now
witnessing cultural and economic shifts that are forcing youth to adapt in new ways.
The end of the plentiful industrial jobs, which in the postwar years allowed youth to move quickly from a parental
home to adult independence, ushered in a new era for youth on the cusp of adulthood. Education and training
quickly became necessary prerequisites to jobs in the current information-driven economy, where jobs are less
permanent and careers more fluid. Although teens continue to work, a shrinking fraction enters full-time work
before their early 20s, often cycling between work and school or simultaneously combining the two.
Interestingly, in certain respects, adult transitions today resemble some of the features of the era prior to
industrialization, when most families earned a living from the land. Then, children often worked on family farms
into early adulthood, when they would inherit the land themselves. Attaining self-sufficiency was a gradual process,
as it is today. One difference, however, is that today, early adulthood is shaped much more by social institutions
outside the family, particularly higher education.
Four-year residential colleges and universities are the best example of a full-fledged social institution that shapes the
lives of young adults. In a certain sense, they are virtual total institutions that provide shelter, directed activities,
adult and peer support, health care, and entertainment. They are explicitly designed to bridge the family and the
wider society and increasingly have been tailored to provide the sort of semi-autonomy that characterizes early
adulthood. Military training, too, shares many of these characteristics.
More Choices, More Complexity
Pathways into adulthood have grown more varied and complex. Once, youth moved nearly in lockstep through the
stages that mark adulthood. Now, they alternate or simultaneously pursue education and work, cycle between
periods living at home and living independently, and delay marriage and parenting. Women, especially, have seen
their options broaden. As a result, fewer young people at age 22, much less someone in their teens, know what they
are going to do in the next 10 years than they did even a few decades ago.
This more ambiguous and extended path often finds youth extending their dependence on parents, creating a greater
financial burden for many families. As Schoeni and Ross show in their chapter, parents provide, on average,
$38,000 in material assistance for their child, or about $2,200 for every year between ages 18 and 34—considerably
more than in the past. Clearly, not all families can afford to provide this level of support, and several authors attest
to the fact that inequities matter not only when children are little, but when they are grown as well, with advantages
and disadvantages accumulating over time.
Policy Implications
Public awareness and social policies have not yet caught up to the changes described in the book. Many features of
American society operate on the assumption that reaching adulthood occurs much earlier than it ordinarily does
today. Health insurance is but one example. An awkward gap exists from the late teens through the 20s when many
young people have yet to become employed full-time, requiring families to pick up the slack.
How then might outdated policies be rewoven to smooth entry into adult life? A first step is to rethink traditional
arrangements that penalize individuals for cycling between work and school, or who pursue both simultaneously.
We must develop more open and coherent education and training programs that can also permit lifelong learning,
and that better connect and actively combine education and work experiences.
Community colleges can be key institutions for new interventions, but financial, social, work, and psychological
services must be bolstered to match those provided in four-year colleges. Workplaces, too, must be restructured in
ways that allow workers to better balance work, education, and family. Paid training, flextime, family and medical
leave, part-time parity in wages are but a few examples. The family clearly remains the primary institution that
absorbs the costs of investment in the next generation. Given that not all families can afford these sizable outlays,
better safety nets are needed for young people. This is especially true for those in foster care, juvenile justice, and
special education systems. Most supports for these youth currently end at age 18, which is simply too early to stop
investing in these young people when their more advantaged peers continue to receive sizable assistance from their
families of origin. The costs of these supports do not come cheaply. However, the costs must be considered against
the recognition that insufficient investment up front will come at huge psychological, social, and economic costs in
the long run.
Based on Frank F. Furstenberg, Jr., Rubén G. Rumbaut and Richard A. Settersten, Jr.,“On the Frontier of
Adulthood: Emerging Themes and New Directions,” in On the Frontier of Adulthood: Theory, Research, and Public
Policy. Edited by Richard A. Settersten, Jr., Frank F. Furstenberg, Jr., and Rubén G. Rumbaut. Chicago: University
of Chicago Press, forthcoming 2004.
Frank F. Furstenberg, Jr., is the Zellerbach Family Professor of Sociology and Research Associate in the
Population Studies Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Rubén G. Rumbaut is Professor of Sociology and co-
Director of the Center for Research on Immigration, Population and Public Policy at the University of California,
Irvin. Richard A. Settersten, Jr., is Professor and Chair of Sociology at Case Western Reserve University.
... The adulthood transition has become more complex over time (Furstenberg et al. 2005). Moreover, the GFC has tremendously affected young adults globally and further complicated the millennial generation's completion of these milestones (Altundemir 2012;Junankar 2015). ...
... Similarly, contemporary scholarship has proposed the transition to adulthood as a concept to understand how teenagers transform into adults (Hogan and Astone 1986). Researchers have also suggested the idea of milestones to index the accomplishments required for young people to claim they have achieved adulthood (Cepa and Furstenberg 2021;Furstenberg et al. 2005;Gagné et al. 2022;Park 2013). ...
... Following on what Shanahan (2000) and Park (2013) have argued, the present study chose pursuing an advanced degree (master's degree or above), having a full-time job, getting married, and living independently (i.e., not living with parents) as the four main milestones of millennials' transition to adulthood. These markers, such as having a full-time job, living independently, and getting married, are the basic milestones discussed by Furstenberg et al. (2005). However, in contrast with Weng and Hsieh's (2018) study and considering the expansion of higher education in Taiwan, the present study chose pursuing an advanced degree (master's degree or above) as another milestone to explore adulthood transition patterns in Taiwan. ...
Article
Full-text available
This study aims to explore the life-course trajectories of millennials from late adolescence to early adulthood in Taiwan, both before and after the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) in 2008. We selected four milestones based on relevant literature and Taiwanese contexts, including pursuing postgraduate education (Master degree, MA degree, or above), getting married, working full time, and living independently at ages 25 and 31. We utilized data from Taiwan Education Panel Survey (TEPS) and Taiwan Educational Panel Survey and Beyond (TEPS-B) to address our research questions. These panel studies, representing two millennial generations-a senior high school sample (SH sample, individuals born in 1984-1985) and the Core Panel sample (CP sample, individuals born in 1988-1989)-captured individuals who graduated from college under the impact of the GFC versus those who graduated during the world's recovery from the GFC. Latent class analysis and other statistical methods were applied to analyze differences between the SH and CP samples. Our findings indicated the impact of the GFC on the SH sample, forcing them to become working single adults living with their parents or working married adults with a neolocal residence. In contrast, the CP sample, benefiting from the world's recovery from the GFC, exhibited a more diverse life-course pattern. They were more inclined to achieve resource-intensive milestones, such as pursuing postgraduate education and living independently.
... The transition to adulthood is a dense and turbulent period, in which young adults move towards independence, autonomy and responsibility in determining the direction of their own lives and futures (Buchmann & Kriesi, 2011;Furstenberg et al., 2005;Gauthier, 2007). This transition is characterised by essential trajectories, including graduation, entering the labour market, leaving the parental home and living independently (ibid.). ...
... 'Income' is concerned with being well-prepared for financial independence as well as preventing or resolving any debt and having a stable income which is sufficient for now and the near future (Expex, 2022). Even though young adults continuously classify financial independence as key to becoming adults (Arnett, 1998), previous studies established that they need increasingly more time to achieve such independence (Furstenberg et al., 2005;LeBaron et al., 2018;Whittington & Peters, 1996). Van Gaalen and colleagues (2023) identified three groups of young adults in the Netherlands who are particularly prone to financial hardship: school-leavers who are unemployed and depend on welfare, school-leavers working at a youth minimum wage, and students who are in the entry and basic levels of vocational education. ...
Article
Full-text available
Young adults determined five needs which must be met to transition to adulthood: support, housing, study and work, income, and well-being. This study aimed to identify and describe subgroups of young adults and determine to what extent they meet the needs for independence, and to assess relations between subgroups and demographic characteristics. We conducted secondary data analysis of a population-based questionnaire, which included 2291 young adults (M age = 20.8 years, 71% female) living in South Limburg, the Netherlands. We adopted a person-centred approach, that is, latent class analysis, and identified four classes: Thriving (39%), Lacking support and well-being (29%), Widely struggling (18%) and Financially challenged (14%). Females and non-university students/graduates had higher odds of being members of the least thriving classes. Future research should focus on how support and cumulative disadvantage affect later life outcomes. We should broaden community, educational and institutional support systems to encourage and sustain meaningful relationships.
... Behavioral indicators of a successful transition from adolescence to a productive adulthood tend to focus on the school-to-work transition with financial independence and family formation. This is because the transition to adulthood has traditionally been focused on five observable milestones: establishing an independent household, finishing school, working full-time, getting married, and having children (Berlin et al., 2010;Furstenberg, 2006Furstenberg, , 2008Furstenberg et al., 2005;Settersten & Ray, 2010). Yet, juvenile justice system involvement often disrupts educational attainment, which Kirk and Sampson (2013) described as "collateral educational damage." ...
Article
Full-text available
Given the limited information on positive developmental outcomes for youth after justice system involvement, the present study aimed to identify patterns of gainful (i.e., career and education) expectations and behavior with 1,110 male and female youth adjudicated for a serious offense through group-based trajectory modeling. Using the Pathways to Desistance data set, we assessed whether expectation and behavior groups differed on demographic, peer, or romantic partner characteristics and modeled the codevelopment of expectations and behaviors through dual trajectory modeling. Approximately 30% of youth positively changed their expectations or behaviors after system involvement. Peer characteristics more robustly differentiated expectation and behavioral groups than romantic partner characteristics. The dual trajectory model presented a clear picture of developmental paths for youth with consistently low and high expectations for and engagement in gainful behaviors, but an unclear picture on how moderate or changing expectations and behavior codevelop. Overall, the results suggest it is important to consider the potential for positive change in juvenile justice dispositions.
... In emerging adulthood, individuals experience tasks and crises inherent to this phase. This period is a time of exploration, where individuals have various possibilities and opportunities to try new ways of life (Arnett, 2006;Furstenberg et al., 2005). However, individuals in this phase are neither adolescents nor fully functioning adults. ...
Article
Full-text available
Academic procrastination has been investigated for its relationship with low self-regulation, which is most likely influenced by adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). This quantitative study utilizes a survey and cross-sectional approach to explore the role of self-regulation in mediating the connection between ACEs and academic procrastination in emerging adult students. A convenience sample of 253 Indonesian students (Mage=20.40; SDage=1.518; Nfemale=97.1%) was obtained. The measurements included the Indonesian version of the Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire (ACE-Q), the short version of the Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SSRQ), and the Academic Procrastination Scale. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS version 26. Out of all the participants, 74.3% reported experiencing at least one ACE. Although bivariate correlation analysis revealed a relationship between the variables, hypothesis testing through path analysis indicated that ACE did not have a direct effect on academic procrastination (B=0.871, SE=0.576, β=0.080; p > 0.05), except when mediated by self-regulation (Sobel Statistic Test results: Z=4.51; p < 0.001). This study highlights the importance of understanding the severity of ACEs in addressing poor self-regulation and mitigating academic procrastination among emerging adult students. Future studies may consider examining different types of ACEs, various aspects of self-regulation, and the role of sex. Keywords Childhood adversity; Emerging adult; Undergraduate student; Academic procrastination; Self-regulation
Chapter
This chapter introduces the anthology Teen TV and its main research object. First, the chapter discusses the crucial term of teen TV. This term firstly describes depictions of youth in television. Thereby it must be considered that in individualised and differentiated societies youth can have very diverse manifestations. Fictional youth dramas, which are the special focus of this book, not only represent various facets of adolescence but also help to shape and construct youth as part of a commercial teenage culture. In this context, the term teen TV also refers to a specific target group. In addition to the official audience pursued by the television industry, actual or non-intended young viewers can be used to define teen TV. After the discussion of the term, the chapter explores teen TV as a genre. For all its hybridity, what is common to the genre is that it negotiates challenges in identity development in adolescence. In doing so, many teen TV dramas display a high degree of self-referentiality. Again and again, teen TV productions refer back to their cultural histories. The introduction explores this history especially in the context of US popular culture. In addition, current and former approaches to teen TV in German television fiction receive focused attention. Finally, the chapter looks at contemporary tendencies in a transnational and digital media environment.
Chapter
Full-text available
En México la mayoría de las mujeres inician su reproducción antes de los 30 años de edad; Zavala (2014) indica que a partir de 1989 el país comenzó a presentar una cúspide temprana de la fecundidad al registrarse que tres cuartas partes del total de nacimientos ocurrían antes de que las mujeres alcanzaran su tercera década de edad; los tres grupos quinquenales de edad en que esto sucede son: 15-19, 20-24 y 25-29 años. La cima se presenta entre los 20 y 24 años, edad en que la mayoría de las mujeres comienza a tener su primer bebé, mientras que entre los 15 y 19 años, si bien su reproducción es menor, las tasas de fecundidad de este grupo quinquenal han ido decreciendo con mayor lentitud (Welti, 2012), además de registrarse un incremento de embarazos entre los 10 y 14 años. Partiendo de un enfoque de curso de vida, en este capítulo interesa precisar el espaciamiento, el orden y la temporalidad que se presenta entre el inicio de la vida sexual, la llegada del primer y segundo descendiente, el inicio y la posible conclusión de la vida conyugal, además de establecer con ello las trayectorias más comunes de lo que aquí se ha denominado como “trayectoria sexual-conyugal-reproductiva”, precisando tanto las características para mujeres y hombres como por etapa en que se inició la reproducción (adolescencia y juventud) para tres cohortes de nacimiento (1963-1967, 1968-1977 y 1978-1987). Cada cohorte se dividió en dos grupos reproductivos: mujeres y hombres que tuvieron un hijo/a en la adolescencia (entre los 10 y 19 años2 ) versus aquellos/as que vieron la llegada de su primer descendiente entre los 20 y 29 años. El eje del análisis es la reproducción en dos etapas claves de la vida: la adolescencia y la juventud. El capítulo contiene una breve revisión en torno a la primera relación sexual, el primer y segundo hijo/a, y el inicio y finalización de la vida en pareja; también se muestran algunas características sociodemográficas de las tres cohortes y se efectúa un análisis descriptivo de transiciones, trayectorias y distancias entre eventos.
Article
Full-text available
This research analyzed the attitudes towards death expressed by a group of young adults in a COVID-19 context. The participants were 10 young residents in the Tarapacá region (60% women, 40% men) between 18 and 29 years old. The methodology had a mixed approach of qualitative preponderance and sequential design. First, the Death Attitude Profile-Revised [DAP-R] was administered to measure five attitudes: Fear of Death, Death Avoidance, Approach Acceptance, Escape Acceptance, and Neutral Acceptance. Subsequently, semi-structured interviews were applied that deepened the results, by exploring the perceptions, emotions and thoughts of the participants during the pandemic. Finally, the quantitative and qualitative data were triangulated to obtain greater validity. The results point to these attitudes as a contextual phenomenon, the expression of which depends on various personal and environmental elements, the most important being the fears associated with family members. In young people, death was understood as a distant reality. This influenced a high neutrality and low fear of own death. The COVID-19 context acted as an influencing factor in attitudes, particularly in fear of contagion or the possibility of dying. Although the young people recognized the dangerousness of the virus, their emotional-affective needs were seen as more urgent problems. Therefore, fears in the COVID-19 context did not prevent exposure to contagion in the company of friends. These behaviors were signified as measures of psychological self-care, particularly in young people with Escape Acceptance.
ResearchGate has not been able to resolve any references for this publication.