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Social Changes in Early and Middle Adulthood
Perhaps the major marker of adulthood is the ability to create an effective and independent life.
Whereas children and adolescents are generally supported by parents, adults must make their
own living and must start their own families. Furthermore, the needs of adults are different from
those of younger persons.
Although the timing of the major life events that occur in early and middle adulthood vary
substantially across individuals, they nevertheless tend to follow a general sequence, known as
a social clock. The social clock refers tothe culturally preferred “right time” for major life
events, such as moving out of the childhood house, getting married, and having children. People
who do not appear to be following the social clock (e.g., young adults who still live with their
parents, individuals who never marry, and couples who choose not to have children) may be seen
as unusual or deviant, and they may be stigmatized by others (DePaulo, 2006; Rook, Catalano, &
Dooley, 1989). [15]
Although they are doing it later, on average, than they did even 20 or 30 years ago, most people
do eventually marry. Marriage is beneficial to the partners, both in terms of mental health and
physical health. People who are married report greater life satisfaction than those who are not
married and also suffer fewer health problems (Gallagher & Waite, 2001; Liu & Umberson,
2008). [16]
Divorce is more common now than it was 50 years ago. In 2003 almost half of marriages in the
United States ended in divorce (Bureau of the Census, 2007),[17] although about three quarters of
people who divorce will remarry. Most divorces occur for couples in their 20s, because younger
people are frequently not mature enough to make good marriage choices or to make marriages
last. Marriages are more successful for older adults and for those with more education (Goodwin,
Mosher, & Chandra, 2010). [18]
Parenthood also involves a major and long-lasting commitment, and one that can cause
substantial stress on the parents. The time and finances invested in children create stress, which
frequently results in decreased marital satisfaction (Twenge, Campbell, & Foster, 2003). [19] This
decline is especially true for women, who bear the larger part of the burden of raising the