The Transition of Youth into Adulthood.

Research has suggested that youth of today are taking longer to complete the transition into adulthood. Twenty-five years ago youth had more of a traditional model of transition, whereas today, the transition seems somewhat fractured. Changes in education and the benefit system may be responsible for the altered state of transition in current youth, (Keep, 2011) which is an assumption that will be investigated further. Therefore, this essay will explore youth transition and will look at how the restructuring of polices and legislations have affected youths transition in to adulthood. Additionally there will be some insight into whether these changes are responsible for the deterioration of the traditional transition model. Furthermore the manner in which political ideologies and perspectives have altered factors such as education, employment, housing and benefits will be examined. Once a full explanation has been provided; the fundamental question that needs to be answered is; are the teenagers of today embattled or empowered?

“Definitions of ‘youth’ in Western societies usually refer to the life stage between childhood and adulthood, the transitional period between being dependant and becoming independent” (Kehily, 2007). The age of this transition can be best defined by the House of Commons as starting at 16 and ending at 24 years old (2013). This transition from youth to adulthood has altered considerably in recent years; the traditional norms and values that youth once followed are no longer respected or easily attained. Current youth have very different life styles and expectations, consequently; adolescents are taking longer to complete the transition into adulthood. Twenty-five years ago the traditional norms we...

... middle of paper ...

...qualifications. The work placements are run on a voluntary basis and travel and childcare costs are covered. These polices along with others have been put in place by the Youth Contract which was drawn up by The House of Commons; in theory it will ensure youth have access to all available resources to help them gain employment or a place in education (Mizra-Davies, 2103).

Works Cited

http://www.skope.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/WP108.pdf used this on the 27/11/13 http://www.jrf.org.uk/publications/youth-divide-diverging-paths-adulthood viewed 22/11/13

"Understanding Youth: Perspectives, Identities & Practices: Perspectives, Identities and Practices (Published in association with The Open University)"(Paperback)by Mary Jane Kehily page 3 sage publications, London

James Mirza-Davies, Economic Policy and Statistics, Youth Contract, The House of Commons 2013