Anissa StewartINQ 11-R 09/04/2012Growing Up is harder to DoIntroductionYears after WWII- Adulthood began in a person’s early 20’s. - Young Womeno Marriedo Raising children- Young Meno Completed school (or as much as they deemed necessary)o Working full time- During this time adults could fully sustain themselves with limited education - Sociologists have come to see that adulthood does not begin after adolescent years- There is a new stage in life called early adulthoodo Also known as young adults- Young Adultso Mature physicallyo Intellectually matureo Psychologically matureo Impressive social skillso Not reluctant to accept responsibilitieso Forced to build credentials for today’s marketo A time for freedom and self-exploration (when the funds are available)o A time of struggle and to gain skills (for those less unfortunate)o New Milestones No longer marriage It takes longer to secure a full-time jobo Full-time Job Takes longer to get a degree More jobs require a college education Parents still must support their child until their early 20’sChanging Notions of Adulthood- Transitioning to adulthood incorporates economic and emotional independence from onesparents- Past benchmarks include marriage and parenthood- 1950’s and 1960’so Americans viewed family roles synonymously to adult responsibilitieso Women married before or by 21o Had at least one child by 23o Becoming an adult female required a young woman to become a motherAnissa StewartINQ 11-R 09/04/2012o Men had to have the means to marry which defined his entrance into adulthoodo Researched found a widespread apathy toward people who never married and those who would never have children during their marriageo As time continued this view shifted o By 1962 85% of mothers believed that couples who are married should have childreno By 1993 on 40% of mothers still agreed to the previous statementThe Lengthening Road to Adulthood- Figure 2.2 Comparing 1960 goals to 2000 goalso Five Transitions Finishing School, Leaving Home, Being financially independent, getting married and having a childo Men By Age 20- 9% 1960- 2% 2000 By Age 30- 65% 1960- 31% 2000o Women By Age 20- 29% 1960- 6% 2000 By Age 30- 77% 1060- 46% 2000Quotes John Modell o “coming into one’s own” P38 Alice Rossio “On the level of cultural values, men have no freedom of choice where work is concerned: they must work to secure their status as adult men. The equivalent for women has been maternity. There is no considerable pressure upon the growing girl and young woman’s fulfillment as an individual and to secure her status as a nadult.” P39 “As young people and their families struggle with the new reality that it takes longer to attain adulthood, Americans must recognize weakness in the primary institutions that facilitate this transition – schools and the military.” P43Anissa StewartINQ 11-R 09/04/2012Anissa StewartINQ 11-R 09/04/2012ReflectionWhen I read this article I felt that this information was common sense. Of course views on such things would have altered over time. For one instance woman are no allowed within today’s job market. When I see the figures within this article it actually astounds me how much has changed. I know that times have changed but to see the actual amount is very interesting. Women have done a complete 180 from their predecessor’s beliefs. It takes so much more to remain afloat in today’s economy. Which I believe is another reason why woman joined the workforce. Times have also altered the importance of education. As the years have passed it has taken longer and longer to achieve a degree in your desired field. With this in mind young adults are forced to rely on their parents longer then they would for example in the 1950’s. During the 1950’s men and women became adults earlier than people do now. In the 50’s people were supposed to leave home get a job and start a family. Now that it takes so much llonger to finish school before getting a job, a new age group has come along. Young adults are now what come after adolescents. During this period in life, people are finishing school. They are in college for four or more years before they even enter the workforce. Also during this time they cannot be financially independent due to the high costs of a college education. Young adults have a harder time finding employment right out of school to. It seems that the labor market today requires not only a college degree, but specialties within that degree. With all this seemingly endless things to do, young adults have put off marriage and childbearing until their late twenties. This relative financial freedom though is usually only felt by those with a sense of economic security such as the upper and upper middle class. Those that reside in the middle and lower middle class are les likely to have as much freedom and solidarity.They are forced to move as quickly as they can so that they can achieve a position within the workforce to help support themselves or their families. Unlike the 1950’s, social class plays a larger role in today’s economy. Although in today’s economy ever upper class workers are being laid off. Since the graphs within this article only reached the 2000’s it is very interesting to be ableto view society as of now. From what I see the amount of schooling has increased. College degrees are no longer simply achieved in four years. Jobs will no longer accept a bachelor’s degree or even an associate’s degree. Now they require master’s degrees and some even require doctoral degrees. I also know for a fact that I will be financially dependent upon my parents untilI am in my mid-twenties. Nevertheless I pray to have a good job and a place to live by then. I also know that I won’t be getting married till my thirties and then having children in my mid-thirties. All in all I find this article to be an amazing insight into the past and how people have changed so drastically over such a small amount of time.Anissa StewartINQ 11-R