1. Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, Clark University
Why is Adulthood Arriving later and later? the New Life Stage of Emerging Adulthood, ages 18-29
Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, Clark University

2. Four Revolutions Since 1960
Technology Revolution: Longer and more widespread education required
Sexual Revolution: Tolerance of premarital sexuality, cohabitation
Women’s Movement: Young women’s ambitions are as high or higher than men’s
Youth Movement: Ambivalence about adulthood

3. College enrollment, U.S., 1900-2010

4. Change in median marriage age, U.S., 1960-present

5. Median Marriage Age (Females) in Selected Countries
Developed Countries Age Developing Countries Age
_____________________________________________
United States Egypt
Canada Ethiopia
Germany Ghana
France Nigeria
Spain India
Japan Indonesia
Australia Guatemala

6. What about Chile? Median marriage (females), 2012: 32 2000: 27
Mexico: 26
Argentina: 33
Brazil: 30
Total Fertility Rate (per woman), Chile: 1.82
Tertiary education (gross enrollment ratio):
Chile 87% (U.S. 87%; Argentina 80%; Brazil 46%; Mexico 30%)

7. Five features of emerging adulthood
300 interviews with year-old Americans, diverse sample.
Identity explorations
Instability
Self-focus
Feeling in-between
Possibilities/optimism

8. Clark University Poll of Emerging Adults
National sample of over 1,000 Americans ages 18-29
Diverse in ethnicity, region, social class background

9. Identity explorations
“This is a time of life for finding out who I really am”
77% of Americans ages agree
Love: searching for a “soul mate”
---”When you marry, you want to find your soul mate, first and foremost.” 94% of Americans agree (National Marriage Project)
Work: searching for self-fulfillment; money is not enough
“It is more important to me to enjoy my job than to make a lot of money.”
79% of Americans ages agree

10. Instability “This time of my life is full of changes.”
84% of Americans ages agree
Job changes ages 18 to 29: Ten (average)
“This time of my life is stressful.”
72% of 18-29s agree

12. Self-focused More independent, not tied to others
“This is a time of my life for focusing on myself.”
71% of Americans ages agree.
“I think I want to get more in touch with myself. I want to be a little selfish for awhile, and selfishness and marriage don't seem to go hand in hand. I'd like to be able to experience as much as I can before I get married, just so I can be well- rounded.” (Rosa, 24 year-old Latina)

13. … but not selfish
“It is important to me to have a career that does some good in the world.”
86% of Americans ages agree

14. Feeling in-between Adults in some ways but not others.
“Do you feel that you have reached adulthood?”
18-21: 32%; 22-25: 52%; 26-29: 68%

15. Do you feel that you have reached adulthood?
“Not absolutely, because I still sometimes get up in the morning and say, ‘Good Lord! I’m actually a grown up!’ ‘Cause I still feel like a kid. I’ve done things like just got up one morning and said, you know, ‘I’m going to Mexico’ and just get up and go. And I should have been doing other things.” (Terrell, 23 year-old African American)

16. Possibilities/optimism
“I am confident that eventually I will get what I want out of life.” 89% agree
“I believe that, overall, my life will be better than my parents’ lives have been.” 77% agree
“Better economically. Better personally. I just think by the time my parents reached my age, they'd already run into some barricades that prevented them from getting what they wanted, personally and family-wise. And so far, I've avoided those things, and I don't really see those things in my life. I don't like my job. I'm frustrated about the lack of relationships with females. But in general, I think I'm headed in the right direction.” (Bob, 23 year-old European American)

17. Bad news and good news “I often feel depressed.” 32% agree
“I often feel anxious.” 56% agree
“This time of my life is fun and exciting.” 83% agree
“At this time of my life I feel I have a great deal of freedom.” 81% agree
At this time of my life, it still seems like anything is possible.” 83% agree

18. Emerging Adulthood in Chile?
Rapidly development in past 30 years; 90% of people in urban areas.
Same demographic patterns as in U.S. and other developed countries: higher ages of marriage and first child, longer and more widespread education.
Key Question: How much will EA in Chile resemble U.S. and other Western countries, how much will be distinctly Chilean?

19. To learn more…
“Emerging Adulthood: The Winding Road from the Late Teens through the Twenties,” by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, Oxford University Press. 10th anniversary edition just published.
Getting to 30: A parent’s guide to the twentysomething years (with Elizabeth Fishel).
Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood,