On the Road Again: Transition Strategies to Adulthood

Tamas Domokos, Kodolanyi University
Zsuzsanna Zugor, Kodolanyi University

This paper examines adolescents’ intentions concerning family formation and steps to adulthood in the EU based on empirical data. In the European societies before the Millennial crisis, youth where integrated to the social system and to the career network by primary and secondary socializing factors by beaten track. In the last 25 years, the changing social structure of Europe modified the practice of this conventional way to start adulthood. The transition to adulthood is a process containing various steps or events. We study the current characteristics of the demographic behavior of young generations, and look at how relationships, marriage and childbearing are developing in their life circle compared to previous periods. We can ask how the construction of reality happens in each phase and what are the instruments of creating “new norms”, preventative factors against the problems of the unknown adulthood. The paper consists of two major parts. First, we present the European trend of demographic characteristics that significantly determine the transition to adulthood based on Eurostat data published in 2019-2023. The second is a national case study based on the Hungarian survey of 8,000 respondents in 2018 and 2020 representing Baby boomer, X, Y and Z generations.

Keywords: Children, Adolescents, and Youth, Families, Unions and Households, Comparative methods , Population Policies

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