On The Frontier Of Adulthood: Theory, Research, And Public Policy

by Settersten, Richard A.; Furstenberg, Frank F.; Rumbaut, Ruben G.

• ISBN13: 9780226748894
• ISBN10: 0226748898
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-03-01
• Publisher: Univ of Chicago Pr

Summary

On the Frontier of Adulthoodreveals a startling new fact: adulthood no longer begins when adolescence ends. A lengthy period before adulthood, often spanning the twenties and even extending into the thirties, is now devoted to further education, job exploration, experimentation in romantic relationships, and personal development. Pathways into and through adulthood have become much less linear and predictable, and these changes carry tremendous social and cultural significance, especially as institutions and policies aimed at supporting young adults have not kept pace with these changes. This volume considers the nature and consequences of changes in early adulthood by drawing upon a wide variety of historical and contemporary data from the United States, Canada, and Western Europe. Especially dramatic shifts have occurred in the conventional markers of adulthood--leaving home, finishing school, getting a job, getting married, and having children--and in how these experiences are configured as a set. These accounts reveal how the process of becoming an adult has changed over the past century, the challenges faced by young people today, and what societies can do to smooth the transition to adulthood. "This book is the most thorough, wide-reaching, and insightful analysis of the new life stage of early adulthood."--Andrew Cherlin, Johns Hopkins University "From West to East, young people today enter adulthood in widely diverse ways that affect their life chances. This book provides a rich portrait of this journey-an essential font of knowledge for all who care about the younger generation."--Glen H. Elder Jr., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill "On the Frontier of Adulthoodadds considerably to our knowledge about the transition from adolescence to adulthood. . . . It will indeed be the definitive resource for researchers for years to come. Anyone working in the area--whether in demography, sociology, economics, or developmental psychology--will wish to make use of what is gathered here."--John Modell, Brown University "This is a must-read for scholars and policymakers who are concerned with the future of today's youth and will become a touchpoint for an emerging field of inquiry focused on adult transitions."--Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, Columbia University

Author Biography

Richard A. Settersten Jr. is professor of sociology at Case Western Reserve University. He is the author of Lives in Time and Place: The Problems and Promises of Developmental Science. Frank F. Furstenberg Jr. is the Zellerbach Family Professor of Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania. He is author or coauthor of several previous books including Managing to Make It: Urban Families and Adolescent Success. Rubén G. Rumbaut is professor of sociology at the University of California, Irvine. He is the author or coauthor of several previous books including Immigrant America: A Portrait and Legacies: The Story of the Immigrant Second Generation.

Table of Contents

About the Editors and Contributors	ix
MacArthur Research Network on Transitions to Adulthood and Public Policy	xiii
Acknowledgments	xv
PART ONE ON THE FRONTIER OF ADULTHOOD: AN INTRODUCTION
On the Frontier of Adulthood: Emerging Themes and New Directions	3	(26)
Frank F. Furstenberg Jr.
Ruben G. Rumbaut
Richard A. Settersten Jr.
PART TWO COMPARISONS OVER TIME AND PLACE: CROSS-SECTIONAL AND CROSS-NATIONAL STUDIES
The Transition to Adulthood during the Twentieth Century: Race, Nativity, and Gender	29	(47)
Elizabeth Fussell
Frank F. Furstenberg Jr.
American Women's Transition to Adulthood in Comparative Perspective	76	(34)
Elizabeth Fussell
Anne H. Gauthier
Historical Roots of Family Diversity: Marital and Childbearing Trajectories of American Women	110	(40)
Lawrence L. Wu
Jui-Chung Allen Li
Historical Trends in Patterns of Time Use among Young Adults in Developed Countries	150	(27)
Anne H. Gauthier
Frank F. Furstenberg Jr.
Generation Gaps in Attitudes and Values from the 1970s to the 1990s	177	(48)
Tom W. Smith
PART THREE PASSAGES TO ADULTHOOD: FINDINGS FROM NATIONAL AND REGIONAL LONGITUDINAL STUDIES
Subjective Age Identity and the Transition to Adulthood: When Do Adolescents Become Adults?	225	(31)
Michael J. Shanahan
Erik J. Porfeli
Jeylan T. Mortimer
Lance D. Erickson
Sequences of Early Adult Transitions: A Look at Variability and Consequences	256	(36)
Ted Mouw
Off to a Good Start? Postsecondary Education and Early Adult Life	292	(28)
Gary D. Sandefur
Jennifer Eggerling-Boeck
Hyunjoon Park
Six Paths to Adulthood: Fast Starters, Parents without Careers, Educated Partners, Educated Singles, Working Singles, and Slow Starters	320	(36)
D. Wayne Osgood
Gretchen Ruth
Jacquelynne S. Eccles
Janis E. Jacobs
Bonnie L. Barber
Is It Getting Harder to Get Ahead? Economic Attainment in Early Adulthood for Two Cohorts	356	(40)
Mary Corcoran
Jordan Matsudaira
Material Assistance from Families during the Transition to Adulthood	396	(21)
Robert F. Schoeni
Karen E. Ross
Early Adult Transitions and Their Relation to Well-Being and Substance Use	417	(37)
John Schulenberg
Patrick M. O'Malley
Jerald G. Bachman
Lloyd D. Johnston
The Ever-Winding Path: Ethnic and Racial Diversity in the Transition to Adulthood	454	(47)
John Mollenkopf
Mary C. Waters
Jennifer Holdaway
Philip Kasinitz
PART FOUR POLICY AND PRACTICE FOR LIVES IN TRANSITION
The Transition to Adulthood for Youth Leaving Public Systems: Challenges to Policies and Research	501	(33)
E. Michael Foster
Elizabeth J. Gifford
Social Policy and the Transition to Adulthood: Toward Stronger Institutions and Individual Capacities	534	(27)
Richard A. Settersten Jr.
Index	561