From Duty to Desire: Emerging Adulthood in Europe and Its Consequences

2007/12/01 by Carrie B. Douglass · 2 citations
Social Sciences · #Youth Education and Societal Dynamics #Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving #Social Policy and Reform Studies

paper · doi:10.1111/j.1750-8606.2007.00023.x

openalex publication_date 2007/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21

Abstract

Abstract This article suggests that emerging adulthood, the stage in the life cycle described by Arnett for the United States, is also evident in Europe. The article examines the characteristics of emerging adulthood in Europe and highlights their regional and national similarities and differences. Also examined are the differences between European emerging adulthood and the American model, which chiefly involve the various ways European youth ameliorate economic and domestic instability. This article is based on a study of one of the most salient consequences of emerging adulthood, low fertility. A clear sign of emerging adulthood in Europe is that historically low numbers of children are being born there.

Citations

• Emerging Adulthood in Europe: A Response to Bynner
• The Emergence of Lowest‐Low Fertility in Europe During the 1990s
• Rethinking the Youth Phase of the Life-course: The Case for Emerging Adulthood?

Cited by

• The new life stage of emerging adulthood at ages 18–29 years: implications for mental health
• Emerging adulthood and early adulthood [wikipedia]