On the Frontier of Adulthood

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. Especially dramatic shifts have occurred in the conventional markers of adulthoodleaving home, finishing school, getting a job, getting married, and having childrenand in how these experiences are configured as a set. 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. Accounts in this study 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. "The most definitive overview yet of the emerging phenomenon of early adulthood in North America."Harvey Krahn,Canadian Journal of Sociology "The strength of the book lies in the vast detail provided on what it takes to be an adult in contemporary western society written by talented scholars, most of whom are the leading figures in their subdisciplines. The coverage of topics and the theoretical and empirical insights are almost exhaustive."Monica A. Longmore,Contemporary Sociology

Richard A. Settersten Jr. is a professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences at Oregon State 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 coauthor of Managing to Make It: Urban Families and Adolescent Success. Rubén G. Rumbaut is professor of sociology at the University of California, Irvine. He is coauthor of Immigrant America: A Portrait and Legacies: The Story of the Immigrant Second Generation.

About the Editors and Contributors MacArthur Research Network on Transitions to Adulthood and Public Policy Acknowledgments PART ONE: ON THE FRONTIER OF ADULTHOOD: AN INTRODUCTION Chapter 1 On the Frontier of Adulthood: Emerging Themes and New Directions FRANK F. FURSTENBERG JR., RUBEacute;N G. RUMBAUT, AND RICHARD A. SETTERSTEN JR. PART TWO: COMPARISONS OVER TIME AND PLACE: CROSS-SECTIONAL AND CROSS-NATIONAL STUDIES Chapter 2 The Transition to Adulthood during the Twentieth Century: Race, Nativity, and Gender ELIZABETH FUSSELL AND FRANK F. FURSTENBERG JR. Chapter 3 American Women's Transition to Adulthood in Comparative Perspective ELIZABETH FUSSELL AND ANNE H. GAUTHIER Chapter 4 Historical Roots of Family Diversity: Marital and Childbearing Trajectories of American Women LAWRENCE L. WU AND JUI-CHUNG ALLEN LI Chapter 5 Historical Trends in the Patterns of Time Use among Young Adults in Developed Countries ANNE H. GAUTHIER AND FRANK F. FURSTENBERG JR. Chapter 6 Generation Gaps in Attitudes and Values from the 1970s to the 1990s TOM W. SMITH PART THREE: PASSAGES TO ADULTHOOD: FINDINGS FROM NATIONAL AND REGIONAL LONGITUDINAL STUDIES Chapter 7 Subjective Age Identity and the Transition to Adulthood: When Do Adolescents Become Adults? MICHAEL J. SHANAHAN, ERIK J. PORFELI, JEYLAN T. MORTIMER, AND LANCE D. ERICKSON Chapter 8 Sequences of Early Adult Transitions: A Look at Variability and Consequences TED MOUW Chapter 9 Off to a Good Start? Postsecondary Education and Early Adult Life GARY D. SANDEFUR, JENNIFER EGGERLING-BOECK, AND HYUNJOON PARK Chapter 10 Six Paths to Adulthood: Fast Starters, Parents without Careers, Educated Partners, Educated Singles, Working Singles, and Slow Starters D. WAYNE OSGOOD, GRETCHEN RUTH, JACQUELYNNE S. ECCLES, JANIS E. JACOBS, AND BONNIE L. BARBER Chapter 11 Is It Getting Harder to Get Ahead? Economic Attainment in Early Adulthood for Two Cohorts MARY CORCORAN AND JORDAN MATSUDAIRA Chapter 12 Material Assistance from Families during the Transition to Adulthood ROBERT F. SCHOENI AND KAREN E. ROSS Chapter 13 Early Adult Transitions and Their Relation to Well-Being and Substance Use JOHN SCHULENBERG, PATRICK M. O'MALLEY, JERALD G. BACHMAN, AND LLOYD D. JOHNSTON Chapter 14 The Ever-Winding Path: Ethnic and Racial Diversity in the Transition to Adulthood JOHN MOLLENKOPF, MARY WATERS, JENNIFER HOLDAWAY, AND PHILIP KASINITZ PART FOUR POLICY AND PRACTICE FOR LIVES IN TRANSITION Chapter 15 The Transition to Adulthood for Youth Leaving Public Systems: Challenges to Policies and Research E. MICHAEL FOSTER AND ELIZABETH J. GIFFORD Chapter 16 Social Policy and the Transition to Adulthood: Toward Stronger Institutions and Individual Capacities RICHARD A. SETTERSTEN JR. Index