Gender and the Transition to Adulthood: A Diverse Pathways View

Abstract

The transition to adulthood can be considered as a status passage in the institutionalized life course, involving the assumption of new social roles, such as the completion of education, entry into the labor market, and family formation (Shanahan, 2000). It is guided by age‐related legal norms as well as population‐based norms and informal expectations regarding appropriate ages for the completion of education, marriage, or becoming a parent, and the sequencing and combination of these roles (Buchmann & Kriesi, 2011). These norms and expectations, or “scripts of life” (Buchmann, 1989), can vary by gender, ethnicity, and social class—and are also highly responsive to social change. In this essay, I introduce a diverse pathways view examining variations and changes in transition experiences among men and women, as well as similarities in pathways to independent adulthood between the 1960s and today. The essay also addresses the intersection of multiple inequalities (focusing on class and gender) that shape individual transition experiences, and introduces the notion of “bounded diversity” taking into account the institutional framing of transitions. It is argued that existing templates for the transition to adulthood are dominated by the assumption of a linear career path moving from full‐time education to full‐time continuous employment, which is more typical for males than females, ignores the dynamics of human lives, and the need to combine work and family roles. To address the complexities and variations in transitions of men and women and in different subgroups of the population, it is necessary to revise existing templates and increase awareness of persisting inequalities. Moving toward more flexible and dynamic conceptions that represent the changing everyday arrangements between men and women, it can be possible to undercut traditional views of status differences and open up new potential for life projects. I first review key findings regarding gender differences in transition experiences, followed by a brief consideration of recent research, and a discussion of issues for future research.

Young people and the Great Recession: Variations in the school-to-work transition in Europe and the United States

“…Yet, on aggregate well over half the youth population did not achieve the standard of a tertiary degree, which might also reflect high levels of drop-out, which are especially high in the US. The data thus suggest the need for viable alternative pathways for establishing oneself in the labour market, in addition to and above the academic track (Schoon, 2015).…”

Changes in Patterns of Social Role Combinations at Ages 25–26 among Those Growing Up in England between 1996 and 2015–16: Evidence from the 1970 British Cohort and Next Steps Studies

“…social roles since the late 1990s has been missing (Billari & Liefbroer, 2010, Schoon & Lyons-Amos, 2016. However, changes in employment and housing opportunities as well as patterns of family formation have likely led more recent generations to experience increasingly disaggregated pathways less well captured by past typologies (Schoon, 2015, Schoon & Lyons-Amos, 2016, 2017. This is particularly relevant for policymaking if young adults in pathways not captured in previous generations present heightened difficulties and would benefit from better-tailored policies (Finch, 2008, Crisp & Powell, 2017.…”

“…In keeping with the massive entry of women into the workforce and higher education, studies found that pathways became more similar between men and women towards the end of the 20th century (Winkler-Dworak & Toulemon, 2007;Ross et al, 2009). Few, however, have examined the extent to which this convergence included family life and housing transitions, and whether this has remained stable since the 1990s (Settersten et al, 2005;MacMillan & Copher, 2005;Amato et al, 2008;Oesterle et al, 2010;Schoon, 2015). Illustrating this in a US sample followed between the ages of 18 and 30, a study found two similar pathways for men and women yet key differences in a third "precarious" pathway, in which men were less likely to be working full-time whereas women were more likely to rapidly enter parenthood while unmarried (Oesterle et al, 2010).…”

“…Parents may have been playing an increasing part in young adults' capacity to successfully transition into adult roles over time (Ross et al, 2009;Schoon, 2015;Billari et al, 2019). There are multiple mechanisms through which parents influence this process: by shaping young adults' expectations, their opportunities for positive transitions, and the capacity to navigate them successfully (Billari et al, 2019).…”

Bridging sociology of religion to transition to adulthood: The emerging role of religion in young adults’ lives

“…However, a great deal of research also makes it clear that the transition to adulthood is not uniform across different demographic and socioeconomic groups. Social class, gender, race/ethnicity, and immigrant status shape the pathways to adulthood, making some groups of young people more successful than others in the transition to adulthood (Gonzales and Roth, 2015;Sandefur et al, 2005;Schoon, 2015).…”