The Order of Events in the Transition to Adulthood

The transition from adolescence to adulthood is marked by a series of interrelated events that represent movement from economic dependence and participation in the family of origin to economic independence and establishment of a family of procreation.' Among the most significant of these events are role changes, including movement out of the student role and entry into the adult roles of worker, spouse, and parent. At present, little is known about the temporal order in which these role changes occur. Based on data from a fifteen-year follow-up study of high school students originally surveyed in 1957-58 and resurveyed in 1973-74, this article examines the order of events in the transition from adolescence to adulthood and the causal factors that determine this order. The latter include influences mediated via hypothesized effects on the timing of exit from the transitional roles of student and soldier and hypothesized effects on the timing of entry into the adult roles of worker, spouse, and parent. Data for both sexes are analyzed.