Article I Received Today

I thought this article was interesting. In truth I have yet to finish it, as I didn't have too much time today for non-school related reading. I plan to finish it tonight. It's from the NYTimes and is called "What is it About 20-Somethings". I found it very insightful to the current trends among myself and my friends.

The subheading is "Why are so many people in their 20s taking so long to grow up?"

Deeper down, it's about an emerging trend in society. There is a struggle right now for 20somethings. We are taking longer to complete the transition to adult-hood. A process which has been characterized as ending with starting one's own family.

An interesting quote from the article:
"One-third of people in their 20s move to a new residence every year. Forty percent move back home with their parents at least once. They go through an average of seven jobs in their 20s, more job changes than in any other stretch. Two-thirds spend at least some time living with a romantic partner without being married. And marriage occurs later than ever. The median age at first marriage in the early 1970s, when the baby boomers were young, was 21 for women and 23 for men; by 2009 it had climbed to 26 for women and 28 for men, five years in a little more than a generation."

I suppose the most interesting thing to me about this article is that it highlights that my friends and myself are not alone. It's not like I'm some freak who is suddenly struggling with something that everyone else can easily handle. Rather families across the US are struggling to understand this transition into adulthood which is taking place later in life. They're also struggling to balance what have traditionally been thought of as dependent behaviors with the desire to be independent. It's not just that my friends are lazy and unappreciative, but that nationally 20somethings are having to undertake more school, put off settling down and strain relationships in an effort to get unpaid jobs or jobs for which they are over-qualified. The article recognizes that identity exploration takes place during the 20s, not just adolescence, which is refreshing since I've felt a bit like an unruly 15 year old lately.

There's much debate in the article about what's going on and if it's good or bad, but for me the best thing is just that there is an article. There is someone out there noticing what's going on and asking about it. It's made me feel a little less alone. If you'd like to read it yourself, here's the link:
.NYTimes Article