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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Coming of age in twenty-first century America
— public attitudes towards the importance and timing of transitions to adulthood | | Author(s) | Tom W Smith |
| Journal title | Ageing International, vol 29, no 2, Spring 2004 |
| Pages | pp 136-148 |
| Source | http://www.transactionpub.com |
| Keywords | Adolescents ; Transitional phase ; Adults ; Life span ; Attitude ; Young adults [20-25] ; Age groups [elderly] ; Comparison ; United States of America. |
| Annotation | Age norms on seven important transitions to adulthood are examined. Americans rank leaving school as the most important hallmark of becoming an adult. This is followed closely by obtaining full-time employment, being able to support a family, and being financially independent. On average, this transition happens over a 5.3 year span, from the traditional age of majority (21) to being a parent by age 26. A large degree of consensus prevails across social groups on the importance of these transitions. The only notable pattern of difference is that older adults and the widowed rate supporting a family, having a child and getting married as more important than do younger adults and the never married. Considerably more variation exists across social groups on the age or timing of these transitions. First, the young and never married favour earlier transitions on financial independence, living away from parents, and working full-time, and later transitions on supporting a family, getting married and having children. Second, the better educated and those with higher incomes favour later transitions on all domains. Third, there are cultural differences related to race and religion. For example, Blacks tend to favour the early transition model more than Whites. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-070503227 A |
| Classmark | SC: 4MT: SD: BG6: DP: SD6: BB: 48: 7T |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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