Towards a new pattern of transition to adulthood?

Recent theories about social and demographic change, such as individualization and the Second Demographic Transition, embed the notion of a convergence towards a specific ideal-typical pathway to adulthood, which we define as late, protracted and complex. After a discussion of the relevant literature for and against such an idea, we empirically assess the convergence to this ideal-typical pattern using new retrospective data from the European Social Survey wave 3 (ESS-3). Our analysis of the timing and sequencing of demographic events among young adults offers qualified support for the emergence of a new pattern of transition to adulthood. Pathways to adulthood are changing in the same direction in most parts of Europe, but no convergence of trends is observed (yet). © 2010 Elsevier Ltd