Becoming an adult in the new millennium : How the transition to adulthood has changed

This paper retraces changes in the transitions to adulthood in Italy in the last ten years through the results of two qualitative research. Both research are based on in-depth interviews to young adults who got a school or university degree in a period between 1 and 3 years before the interview. In the first research, carried out in Milan in 2003 for the 7th Framework Programme, 40 young people, aged 19-35; were interviewed; the second one, funded by the Ministry of University and carried out in 2014-2015 in Milan, involved 50 young people aged 20-33. In the last ten years, the youth condition has undergone deep changes; for this reason further reflection is needed on the traditional categories used to understand the transition to adulthood. Research show how it is difficult to overcome the transition phases due to structural changes (extended education and training; difficult access to labour market). In the last ten years these conditions have not changed, actually they got worse. Labour market has become more problematic, even if the last labour reform – the Jobs Act – foresees specific measures for youth. In 2013 unemployment has reached 40 % and the Neet percentage is one of the highest in Europe (26% aged 15-29). However, strategies implemented by youth to cope with and to react to these conditions seem different from those put in place at the beginning of the new Millennium. A comparison between the two research show significant differences, as highlighted below. In the research carried out in the year 2003, respondents lived with their parents and were characterised by labour uncertainty. In the last research young respondents showed a greater ability to plan their future and a reasonable confidence in their future. Moreover some of them left the parental home to cohabit with partner or with friends. The condition of uncertainty does not seem to undermine their projects or decisions. The design dimension is not excluded from their storytelling but is adapted to their present situation, i.e. proportionate to the opportunities offered by the social and institutional context and by their previous job experiences. These young people can strengthen their ability to cope with the economic crisis and to find “innovative” solutions or to follow paths useful to reach their goals. Similar to the respondents of the first research, the social and cultural capital is an important resource to define transition paths. However, some young people with poor cultural and social resources show an ability to overcome this limit in a constructive way. In view of the above, how is it possible to re-define the categories to understand youth and transition to adulthood? The traditional interpretative categories (uncertainty, inability to perceive their future) must be integrated with other categories like the ability to innovate and to find suitable opportunities to exploit their skills at best. These young people are able to overcome the negative aspects of the crisis and to show their unexpressed abilities, even if these abilities are not fully consistent with their education or labour path.