Unit #2: Leaving Home Becoming an Adult

How would you define adulthood? What marks this entry to YOU?

The Transition to Adulthood: Becoming an adult is a process that begins in childhood and continues until you are an adult in your own eyes, in the eyes of your parents, the law, and the society in which you live. Although an individual’s development is a very gradual process, it is marked by very distinct and significant turning points, such as; Puberty Graduation Drivers licence Marriage Parenthood All known human societies have recognizable stages of life that are distinguished by societal rituals called rites of passage

Pace of Development: By the end of the 20th C, the usual signs of adulthood- leaving home and becoming self-reliant- appear to be occurring later Progress from one stage of life to another has been described as the interaction of several clocks, each ticking at its own pace Chronological Clock- defines adulthood in terms of the number of years since birth Biological Clock- Physical Changes- result in sexual maturity and the attainment of full adult size and strength Psychological Clock- how the brain is developing as individuals acquire new mental processes and more mature ways of understanding the world. Social Clock- societies expectations concerning when certain events should occur in the lives of individuals

The Role of Adults in Canada Adulthood is the period of life that follows childhood and adolescence and last until death The time that adulthood begins depends on when adolescence ends This passage is not clearly defined in Western society and terms used to identify life stages are casual at best We will assume that adolescence ends at the end of high school since Canadians achieve the age of majority at the age of 18 We will be focusing on youth, a transition that begins in adolescence and continues into early adulthood Youth encompasses the ages of 15-34 years of age

The Role of Adults in Canada In North America, the popular assumption amongst researchers is that to become an adult is to become a self-reliant person This involves: Forming an identity as an individual Separating from his/her family of orientation Starting a career Leaving the home of origin Forming supportive relationships

The Role of Adults in Canada Betty Carter and Monica McGoldrick describe young, single adulthood as the first stage of the family life cycle The young adult leaves one family to form another Adolescents in Canada tend to be optimistic about their futures as adults However, young people do experience some anxiety about making the right decisions and plans to achieve their expectations Becoming an adult is an important transition in all societies The diversity of adult roles available makes the nature of this transition difficult to predict

The Transitions to Adulthood in Earlier Times The social history of youth in Canada and Europe Social history has two major drawbacks: Social historians examine the observations of other societies to look for examples that are representative, but individual behaviour varies widely both within and between societies Social historians rely on surviving accounts from the past as their primary sources, which are riddled with opinions and perceptions along with facts

The Impact of Industrialization In pre-industrial societies, adolescence did not exist Children were considered infants until they were put to work at age 7-8 They were then called youth until they married and lived independently, usually in the mid to late-twenties

The Impact of Industrialization Working class youth often left their families to live in other households Their role was determined by their social class Lower-class girls worked as domestic servants and boys worked as labourers or apprentices learning a trade. Upper-class children were educated at home The father as pater familias treated all who lived in his household as members of his family He exerted strict discipline over them regardless of age

The Impact of Industrialization Functionalists claim that the separation of youth from their parents was practical in pre-industrial societies High rates of infant mortality resulted in 50% of children dying before age of 20 Families produced lots of children to improve their chances of producing a male heir who would survive to support them in their old age Poorer families could not provide enough work for all their children They sent them to work for wealthier families until they could marry

The Impact of Industrialization The prevailing advice was that parents shouldn’t get attached to their children Not based on encouraging independence Based on the fear that their children would probably die Sending children away achieved separation

Industrialized Societies Industrialization began in the 19th century and changed the roles of children Production moved from the home to factories Became possible for children to earn an income without leaving home Instead of sending them away, lower-class fathers took their children to work in factories They retained authority over them and even collected their wages until they were 17

Industrialized Societies After turning 17, young people earned an income Became borders in their parents’ homes Still contributed income to the family Middle-class daughters were educated at home while sons were sent away for school Half of young people stayed home until they were 24 or older The other half married and left home at a younger age than previous generations did

Industrialized Societies The 20th century was an era of significant change for families and other institutions Mechanization of production reduced the need for labour Child labour was abolished and schooling was introduced to occupy children Early in the century the age for leaving school was 14 It was raised to 16 as the number of jobs for young people declined

Industrialized Societies In 1904, G. Stanley Hall revived the term adolescence An old term from the Middle Ages Described youth who had reached puberty, but were not in the workforce For the middle class, adolescence became a time of learning and leisure For the lower class, young people continued to leave school to work to help support their families

Coming of Age in the Twenty-First Century In the 21st century the transition from childhood to adulthood has become an extended period of adolescence Individuals remain emotionally and financially dependent on their parents until their late twenties or later Young people spend more years in school Leaving school, starting work, leaving home, getting married, and even becoming parents in a more compressed time frame There are fewer job opportunities when they leave school Major shift in the economy that has reduced the work available

Coming of Age in the Twenty-First Century To make it easy for youth to make a successful transition to adulthood, society should provide 2 things: A set of consistent beliefs about adult behaviour Opportunities for young people to participate in adult roles

Coming of Age in the Twenty-First Century In Canada, the diversity of roles available to adults makes choosing what path to take difficult for youth Adult roles are inaccessible to youth until they have a stable income Many young Canadians do not take on adult roles until later than previous generations did Functionalists explain that delaying the transition is necessary to protect young people who are not fully socialized for adulthood Conflict theorists argue that youth are being exploited by a society that doesn’t allow their full participation in the workplace Prevents them from achieving independence from their families

Leaving Home Living independently is the major event that signals successful transition into adulthood In other species, young are expected to leave when they become sexually mature In the 19th century, puberty occurred at 16 for girls and 18 for boys The development of adult size and strength occurred a few years later Leaving home would occur within a few years of physical maturity

Leaving Home Improved nutrition has lowered the age of puberty to as early as 10 Sexual maturity occurs 5-8 years before individuals achieve their full adult size and strength Sexual maturity is no longer an appropriate indication that an individual is ready to leave home

Leaving Home North Americans expect young adults to leave home before they marry It’s usually a gradual process rather than an event Many youth leave home to attend college or university, where they live in student housing In some countries, youth leave home for military service and live in communal barracks Young Mormons are expected to do 2 years of missionary service away from home

Leaving Home The youth have left home, but these living arrangements are considered semi-dependent It is assumed that parents are supporting them and they will return home frequently Living truly independently means accepting responsibility for meeting your own needs for food, clothing, shelter, and companionship

When Adults Leave Home For many young people, living independently happens later than it used to The majority are still living at home at 24 Resulted in a trend dubbed “The Permakid” Several research questions have arisen concerning how families will have to change to accommodate adult children:

When Adults Leave Home When do young Canadians leave home, and how does the timing compare to earlier generations? 7 out of 10 high school graduates and 6 out of 10 of their parents expected that they would be living independently by the age of 24 The average age for marriage is over 30, so both parents and adult children expect that young adults will leave home before marriage The age at which young people choose to live independently is gradually increasing and young adults are choosing to live with their parents longer

When Adults Leave Home How do families influence the decision? Can be analyzed using social exchange theory Young adults must weigh the costs and benefits of staying home compared to those of leaving Must weigh a desire for privacy and independence from parental supervision against the companionship and financial and emotional support received Parental expectations concerning the appropriate time are an important factor in determining when adult children will leave home

When Adults Leave Home How is the decision to leave home affected by education, employment, and relationships with others? Staying at home allows young adults to invest in further education and to find a good job before having to find affordable housing and pay rent

The Decision to Leave Home Relationship with Family A comfortable family environment encourages young adults to stay at home. Living at home provides security while they finish their education and look for work Some may be responsible for the care of a parent If the parents and young adult share an adult relationship, they may enjoy the companionship of living with their parents and vice versa

The Decision to Leave Home Leaving home occurs earlier when there is family conflict If the young adult feels the parents demand too much from them without granting them adult status in the family, they may leave home to assert their independence Children of divorced parents are more likely to leave home, especially when one or both parents are remarried

The Decision to Leave Home Financial Cost Living at home is cheaper than living alone or with roommates More economical since most youth pay little to no room and board and continue to do the few chores they took on as adolescents

The Decision to Leave Home Shortage of housing, resulting in higher rents and fewer affordable apartments Problematic for young adults with a low personal income because they are unemployed, unable to find full-time work, or attending school The children of higher-income families leave home later than children from lower-income families Children from affluent families are used to a more comfortable lifestyle and more privacy in their parents’ home and therefore choose to stay longer

The Decision to Leave Home Gender Women usually decide to leave home earlier than men do Women tend to marry older men (usually 2 years older) and thus form couples and leave home earlier than men Young women receive more experience in housework as adolescents, so they may be more willing to accept the responsibilities of maintaining an independent household

Wrap Up: The History of Adolescence as a Life Stage note (review) Adolescence group task- discussion Leaving Home Reading and Questions due next class for /26 marks Road Map