The Young Adult Years: Diversity, Structural Change, and Fertility

Abstract

An understanding of fertility behavior is improved by consideration of roles and behavior by those of childbearing age. This perspective is consistent with the changes taking place in demography to expand the range of behavior under examination. The focus is on the young adult years (18-30 years) which represent a demographically dense period of multiple transitions which may occur as similarity or diversity staged in a mandated order or not or appear ambiguous or clear cut. The data used for discussion are from the US National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 (senior year) with followup data from 1973747679 and 86 (NLS72). This population of baby boomers with separate family activities and work/school activities which impact on one another is diverse in many ways. The demographic density of the young adult years is characterized by fertility and migration which reaches a peak magnitude during these years; i.e. age specific fertility begins to decline after age 27 and 66% of all births in 1987 were to women 18-29 versus 76% in 1975. Mortality is the only core demographic variable which shows a trough unless one considers mortality specific causes such as motor vehicle accidents which peak during the young adult years. Other variables such as 1st marriage peak in the mid 20s for women and the late 20s for men and divorces and remarriage rates are also highest in the 20s. Leaving school and unemployment rates are also concentrated in these years to add to the density. The sparsity of activity in the midlife years may account for the crisis; young adults have the most positive view of life and provide the engines of social change with the least resources (28% of households with 8% of the assets) with relatively little power. The substantial number of demographic events for young adults is coupled with their diverse roles and activities. The sequencing of roles is examined with the NLS72 data and 75% of combinations of work school other are unique to 1 person and only 10% worked all 12 years. Gender differences reflect females experiencing more diversity. Across societies the US offers greater opportunity to drop in and out of education. In the work and family sphere there are consequences of the diverse and demographically dense years where order is the exception. A fixed set of reproductive norms and operating in a changing context. Little empirical work has been done to examine the extent to which transitions are blurred or crisp. American fertility trends may not follow the pattern of decline due to changes in the evolving relationships among the roles of father mother spouse worker student. With the changes in choices child rearing will be very different in the future.