Fewer young adults are achieving economic and family milestones typically associated with adulthood, according to a recent working paper from the U.S. Census Bureau.

According to the working paper, “Changes in Milestones of Adulthood,” almost half of all young adults in 1975 had reached four milestones associated with adulthood: moving out of one’s parents’ home, getting a job, getting married and having a child.

Five decades on, that progression has changed dramatically. The share of young adults that have followed the traditional pathway to adulthood has dropped to less than a quarter, according to the paper.

  • Derpenheim@lemmy.zip
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    1 day ago
    1. Having a child

    Oh fuck off, I have very consciously decided NOT to have a child. In my own lifetime, I will see the agrinomic sector completely fail due to runaway climate change. I will see actual resource wars. Why the fuck would I have a kid

    • Woht24@lemmy.world
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      6 hours ago

      Oh you know, proliferation of the species etc.

      I’m sure you’ll be annoyed at this answer but I mean ask stupid questions, get stupid answers. You are well within your rights to believe it but not to push it as fact.

    • Cocodapuf@lemmy.world
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      22 hours ago

      Why the fuck would I have a kid

      To help pay for your retirement.

      I know that was a rhetorical question, but regardless, here’s the answer. Eventually people get old, and it’s generally good if there are enough younger folks to pick up the slack when older folks really can’t anymore.

      Our society is essentially a house of cards. If there suddenly aren’t enough supports remaining at the base, those higher levels might start to collapse, and that tends to take the rest of the structure down too.

      • dustyData@lemmy.world
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        3 hours ago

        retirement

        That is the most selfish and hateful reason to have a child. Your children are their own person, not your retirement insurance. If this is the typical breeder line of thought, no wonder there are so many abandoned elderly folk.

        • EndlessNightmare@reddthat.com
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          12 minutes ago

          It’s also outright counterproductive if we see large increases in unemployment due to automation (including, but not limited to AI).