Can We Finally End the Myth of Lazy, Entitled 20-Somethings?

Maybe it's just because I'm a 20-something myself, but I am exceedingly frustrated with the media-generated myth that the "millennial" generation is full of whiny kids who run home to mooch off their parents as soon as they graduate from their snooty colleges and spend most of their 20s happily unemployed. Yes, there's been an uptick in the number of college graduates living with their folks, which shouldn't be a big surprise considering it's not so easy to get a job these days. Fortunately, a new study from Oregon State University backs me up on this.

The report, "What's Going on with Young People Today? The Long and Twisting Path to Adulthood," sets out to examine whether it's true that young people are hitting typical "adult" milestones at a later age than their ancestors, and, crucially, why that might be. The answer to the first part of the question is a qualified yes. Adulthood has typically been defined by five life events: leaving home, completing school, entering the workforce, getting married and having children. In the 21st century, people are definitely getting married and having children later, especially if they have high levels of education and prioritize their careers.

And it is definitely true that it's more common for members of this generation live with their parents than it was for their parents (i.e. Baby Boomers) to live with their parents. But this is by no means a radical shift, it's a return to the ways of the early 20th century and before. The Boomers were actually the ones who were out of step! As the researchers write: "For youth to leave home at an early age during the 1950s, for example, was 'normal' because opportunities for work were plentiful and social expectations of the time reinforced the need to do so. But the prosperity that made it possible for young adults of that era to move quickly into adult roles did not last." When there are good jobs for young people, they'll get those jobs and live on their own. When there aren't, they'll move in with their parents. How did this get twisted into an assumption that 20-somethings are just afraid to leave the nest?

The other major argument in the Oregon State report is similarly refreshing: an examination of how governments have created this class of needy 20-somethings. The researchers find a "mismatch" between young people trying to strike out on their own and the safety net that is there to support them — a safety net they conclude has frayed considerably since the Boomers were in their 20s. The study recommends strengthening community colleges, service learning program like Americorps and military service benefits in order to make the path to adulthood less treacherous. The Baby Boomers weren't thrown off a cliff when they turned 18; why should we expect their children to thrive under those circumstances?

Photo credit: Joe Shlabotnik