Melbourne: Only 38 percent of 21-year-olds in Melbourne believe they had definitely reached maturity, a new study has revealed.
The study, which followed all the babies born in two Melbourne suburbs in 1990, also found that another 13 percent were adamant they had not reached adulthood, while 49 percent were ambivalent, saying “yes and no”.
Janet Taylor, senior researcher at the Brotherhood of St Laurence, said that whether they classified themselves as mature adults depended on their personal situation.
“Some are keen on adulthood and their independence and their maturity, but some were saying ‘I am not ready’,” the Daily telegraph quoted her as saying.
“For some, the fact they were earning independent money and making their own decisions made them feel adult and for some they liked that they didn``t have to take adult responsibilities yet.
“A lot who are studying are also working part-time jobs so there is a mixture of independence and dependence,” she said.
Of the 140 subjects in the survey, half were studying at university, 27 percent were in full-time paid work, 10 percent were studying at TAFE while 13 percent were parents themselves, unemployed or working part time.
A surprisingly high 72 percent were still living at home.
The research was inspired by the 7-Up TV series, which followed a group of children every seven years into adulthood.
“I think the age marker no longer has some of the relevance it did,” Taylor said.
“But on the other hand, turning 18 is very important for young people - that is when you can drink or get a driver’s licence. Some of the young people indicated turning 21 wasn’t as big as turning 18,” she said.
Social researcher and psychologist Hugh Mackay said 30 was the new milestone of maturity. He said the generation of “kidadults” spent more time studying, travelling and had more career choices.
“Twenty-one is an excuse for a party,” Mackay said.
“Young people now approaching 30 regard that as the threshold to adulthood - 30 is the new 21,” he said.
He added that “hallmarks” of maturity were committing “to the idea of a stable relationship, possibly parenthood and some kind of commitment to a career or mortgage but those things now happen typically not in our 20s but our 30s”.
ANI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.