Setting sail into adulthood is as tricky as it is special, with the traditional markers of growth often indicating a departure from the comfort and safety of the shore. Does Generation Z present a unique resistance to this change or have the tides become simply more difficult to navigate?

Like childhood and adolescence, adulthood can be considered to comprise of various stages, the first of which is called young adulthood and roughly lasts between the ages of 18 and 29 (Halloran, 2024). The initial stage of adulthood holds such significance that many cultures mark it with distinct rituals—from Bar Mitzvahs to Seijin no Hi—this transition is broadly viewed as an occasion to be celebrated as youngsters prepare to step out and contribute to society on their own. 

Although difficult to measure due to interpersonal variation and a culture that is increasingly focused on individuality, this stage in life has been known to be composed of several recognizable markers, including new social, legal and psychological ability (Palumbo et al., 2022). Young adulthood can often be abstractly defined as a period for the development of independent decision-making and awareness to take responsibility for oneself. This is usually translated into visible steps like pursuing higher level education, moving out of your parents’ house and forming robust personal relationships.   

In recent years, there has been a growing trend of young adults postponing these milestones of adulthood. Compared to 20 years ago, it is now more common to live at home with your parents than to have moved out and be living on your own (Buckland, 2024). Furthermore, the mean age for finding a stable job and getting married has increased significantly for both men and women since the 1950s (Redding, 2021). Although criticized by some, particularly older adults, as evidence of Gen Z’s “laziness” and “incompetence,” this criticism is lacking the actual solutions and informed perspective that is meant to accompany the older stages of adulthood.

In fact, many of these delays have come due to opportunities and new experiences for the youth of today that their parents and grandparents did not have. It is more common to have access to higher-level education today, with over half of all young people in the United States being enrolled in a university programme (Stewart, 2025), enabling young people to pursue an education before entering the workforce. Furthermore, women are in a better position to pursue professional and personal ambitions that were inaccessible to previous generations, when women were constrained solely to the household. The postponement of bigger life decisions also comes with more time for identity building and personal exploration that can help young adults find their purpose and make more thoughtful, strategic choices for their future (Steinberg, 2014).

While delayed adulthood has some noteworthy advantages, it is also in part driven by definitively negative external factors that are holding young people back from meeting said adult milestones. This generation is entering a precarious job market and facing a serious living crisis, with most young people reporting high rates of concern for their economic security (Psara, 2025). It has become increasingly difficult for young adults to buy homes, with homeownership rates halving since the last two generations (National Mortgage Professional, 2025). Furthermore, young adults are battling a mental health and burnout crisis that has only been exacerbated by the global pandemic in the early 2020s. In people aged 18-24, mental health issues contribute to almost half of all health-related challenges worldwide, with women and LGBTQ+ individuals being especially impacted (Fonagy, 2025). The economic and social environment young adults are meant to enter is thus extremely hostile and insecure. It is therefore vital for governments and public institutions to tackle the issues proven to hold the youth back from stepping out into society, rather than resorting to dismissive and often regressive tactics to try and limit the young adults of today.  

Despite intensifying pressure, there is no need to adhere to a strict and timely execution of early adulthood’s markers that are still too often gendered and misapplied to life today. In fact, there are some important benefits to delaying adulthood and the increasing ability to choose when to take on new responsibility. However, there is deep importance and value to the meaning behind said markers which are still meant to help prepare young adults for their contribution to society. There is instead a need for the improvement of the quality of life today, something that history and different cultures have long shown to be essential to ensure the happiness and fulfillment of generations to come.