As American 30-somethings increasingly bypass the traditional milestones of adulthood, economists are warning that what seemed like a lag may in fact be a permanent state of arrested development. Americans in their 30s have never looked less like grown-ups.
Amid steep declines in homeownership, marriage and birth rates, economists have long been warning that young people are struggling to meet the milestones of adulthood. Although some 30-somethings are consciously choosing a less traditional path, many say these goals are simply out of reach.
“It feels like the instructions for how to live a good life don’t apply anymore,” says 38-year-old Cody Harding, who is single and lives with three roommates in Brooklyn. “And nobody has updated them.”
Now, as a mix of social and economic factors holds back an entire generation, what researchers once called a lag is starting to look more like a permanent state of arrested development.
Younger adults are far less likely than Americans over 50 to […]
The headline of the article is certainly misleading, and its a mixed bag. The people interviewed have certainly grown up chronologically; however, they are not where they want to be with the goals (according to the article) being: home ownership, marriage and children. The author rightly touched on the poor economy, and student debt as factors. I suspect that these are the major drivers. How these factors were framed were odd. It’s as if the author cherry picked individuals who lacked a coherent plan for their lives and then were surprised at the consequences of their choices. I suspect that a venue other than the Wall Street Journal would have been able to put together a more coherent narrative, which would end up being critical of the current capitalist structure. A thing forbidden by editors and publisher alike.
Many of this younger group were raised to be spoiled and too many helicopter parents! On the other hand, schools have clearly worsened—not their fault. Rents are ridiculous and this young man like others has a number of roommates! They can’t afford their own apartment nor purchase a home. Wages have not proportionally increased so that they could buy things that have risen so much higher in the market. The huge disparity in incomes is the worst it’s ever been and will get worse with Trump (it helps that he’s surrounding himself with 16 ultra-rich billionaires). Too much time on cellphones and social media and the students today are not nearly as educated as my generation was. Plus, of course, the cost of education is ridiculous!!! So we all have to do something about this—-elect representatives and senators who actually care about the problems and will do something about it so that these young people can actually participate in our economy and earn a livable wage!
What a joke. Politicians who care? Yeah, right.
People are not immature, they are born into a country they cannot afford to live in.
Their parents didn’t have the wealth, connections, or know-how to guide them to success.
It’s like dropping a baby in the ocean, and blaming it for sinking.
After Chumps next term, God willing only 4 years, there will be the haves, the have nots and one more third world shithole.
We need a national purge of the wealthy CEO class!
Get your pitchforks now!
With or Without “G-d Willing”, Trump can only serve one term. He has already served one and is only allowed 2 by law.
I agree with Terri on all points!
In addition, education among the young is more focused on tech and tech related issues. That is where the jobs are. Granted, classical education is related to non technical creativity, to ethics. And the classics have shaped personalities, choices, etc. While I was a teenager, back in the dark ages, my parents arranged for a female German middle school exchange student to live with us during. She had I’m curious as to how success is being defined here. What does a successful person look like? It seems that the most important criteria in the US is related to money! If you have money, it doesn’t matter all that much what your ethics are. What your visions for the future of communities are. And due to changing conditions, i.e. an extreme rise in cost of living, transportation and other basic needs, i.e. food, clothing, healthcare, there seems to be little space being created for change. Having lived abroad in S.America and Europe, the most influential factors across the board is related to transportation, and fossil fuel consumption. Public transportation in Europe tends to extensive and deeply embedded in relation to consumer usage. People have cars, but the majority often uses public transportation during the week and use private automobiles on the weekend. But one has to factor in that public transportation is built into the system and has been used for decades.
On average, 40% of European residents use public transportation in cities, and 4% use trains. However, some people use both modes of transportation.
On average 70% of Europeans are satisfied with public transportation. Numbers which are vastly different from the U.S. due to what is not available. public transportation.
Another important difference is that European schools average one hour more per day of lessons, which adds up. English is, across the board, the second language and it’s mandatory. Personally, I believe American students would benefit greatly from schools having a mandated second language.
🥱Get a job better yourself by work or education. I’m a first generation American 38 years old. Doing well, 4 beautiful kids, an amazing wife.
How do I own 2 homes have a spectacular job and am continuing to climb? We’ll have no resources growing up really did limit my foreseeable future. So I decided do something about it and not be a bitch.
I joined the Army; served for 12 years and used my college benefit’s to better mine and my family’s situation.
It can be done. Look for the right jobs and the right places to live.
I mean 38 and renting with 3 roommates is cringe.
Jon, what is “cringe” is thinking the anecdotal situation of your life can be applied across an entire generation of people. “Look for the right jobs” what exactly do you think happens to the “bad” jobs? Do you think they just stay unfilled? The problem is there are far more bad jobs than good ones.
People always ask me why me and my husband don’t have children. It’s not because we don’t want them, it’s because we can’t afford them. Neither of us is willing to reproduce just because that’s what’s expected of us. If we can’t give our child a good life then why bother.