Gender and Age Differences of Emerging Adults on Perceptions of Adulthood

Current research indicates numerous similarities and differences on perceptions of adulthood among males and females. This study provides new results of age and gender differences on perceptions of adulthood. Methods include one-time face to face interviews with four white college students. Findings in this study include higher female weigh of marriage in their life, and better parental relationships in emerging adulthood, which are supported by previous research. This study is not supported by previous research in terms of females’ correlation between their career and their view of adulthood, and also age differences in regards to gender differences on maturity. Overall, personal experiences are all independent of the participants. Given that possible third variables may affect the results, extensive screening of participants is needed.

Gender and Age Differences of Emerging Adults on Perceptions of Adulthood

Introduction

In today’s society, the idea of adulthood is becoming very common among those who are transitioning from adolescence to adulthood. This transitional period is called emerging adulthood, where individuals are consistently interchanging between the two levels. Many traditional factors which are associated with being an adult are being seen more among emerging adults. These factors are very broad, and include a wider range of perceptions, open minds and points of view seen in emerging adults, in regards to life experiences and changes, as discussed in the study described by Ronka, Oravala, and Pulkkinen (2003). The changes experienced from high school to college, and beyond, are all transitions which occur over a long period of time. The experiences of different jobs play a role in the change of careers. Also, as an individual grows from adolescence to adulthood, he or she changes social roles; therefore, numerous social alterations occur in this time. A major branch of these social transitions includes family roles. As an individual develops, his or her family role changes in regards to their responsibility for their immediate family and their potential future family (Ronka et al., 2003).

In addition to the transitions correlated with age, gender roles during emerging adulthood are also present. Men and women are different creatures biologically; however, their life choices and experiences sometimes overlap. In a study by Jackson and Tein (1998), there is evidence that men and women have similar attitudes regarding career outlook, marriage and adulthood lifestyles, respective to their gender. There are differences between gender perceptions on adulthood lifestyles-which are opinions of how adults should and do live. To contrast this gender difference, career outlook and marriage had similar perceptions among both men and women. Both genders overlapped in how much they weigh career outlook vs. marriage, respective to age, in their perception of adulthood. According to Jackson and Tein (1998), career outlook is viewed higher than marriage prospect, and as both men and women age, an equal balance of importance is established between both career and marriage.