Traditional milestones of adulthood are being disrupted.

OVERVIEW

The term “waithood” describes a stage where young adults face delayed traditional milestones, such as marriage and homeownership, due to job scarcity and a “silver ceiling” caused by older generations delaying retirement. While societal norms often equate adulthood with these milestones, creating a perception that young people are in limbo, the reality is different. Many young adults are actively forging new paths, including in entrepreneurship and creative or informal economies. This shift underscores the need to evolve our notions of adulthood as societies change and to promote education and employment policies that better prepare young people for a much greater variety of life and career patterns.

SIGNALS

Patterns of life, work and family are changing. Young adults are getting married and having children later in life. AI is beginning to transform jobs and will replace some altogether. Some young people are stuck in so-called “waithood” — a prolonged period between childhood and adulthood where traditional milestones, like leaving home, marriage, homeownership and children, are delayed due to job scarcity and a “silver ceiling” caused by older generations working longer. Some Chinese parents are paying their unemployed adult children to be kids. In the US, more Gen Z are enrolling in trade school, seeing better prospects – and less threat from AI – than in professional jobs.

“Waithood” doesn’t mean young people are inactive – studies show they are often busy, paid or unpaid – but they are not following traditional life patterns. Many are entrepreneurs, working in creative industries or informal economies. The “creator economy” (businesses that create and monetise online digital content) could double to $480 bn by 2027; 57% of Gen Z say becoming an influencer is their top career choice. Creative industries account for 50 million jobs worldwide and employ more young people (and women) than other sectors. Nigerian musician Burna Boy was the first African to sell out a US stadium at Madison Square Garden, New York.

Yet societal norms still tend to link adulthood to marriage, work and homeownership. 78% of young people employed worldwide are in informal employment (compared with 58% of adults). While many young people do attain social markers of adulthood without a formal job, others may aspire to those traditional milestones but find them out of reach. For them, “waithood” is an uneasy limbo, not a choice.

SO WHAT FOR DEVELOPMENT?

A young population like in sub-Saharan Africa, the world’s youngest region with 70% under the age of 30, holds great economic potential. In South Africa, a 2023 study discovered 1 million informal innovators, 2.5% of the population. But in 2021, a quarter of young people in developing countries were neither in employment, education or training. The frustration and disillusion that can result is a risk for healthy societies of the future. Education and labour policies need to evolve to equip younger generations to compete in a rapidly changing job landscape. As AI and technology disrupt traditional jobs – and create new ones in sectors like creative and digital – education has to adapt, teaching skills for the jobs of the future. New technologies like classroom robots, virtual reality and AI for personalized learning could help that extended learning, if these technologies can be made broadly accessible. 

Younger generations are getting married and having children later, or not at all, often because they can’t afford to. This challenges societal norms, creating a mismatch in expectations across generations of what adulthood means. Yet the familiar linear model of life – education, work, retirement – is becoming obsolete as we all live longer. In the “postgenerational” society, “perennials” will live much more varied lives, pursuing several occupations, interacting with multiple generations. BMW and other companies, for example, are creating multigenerational workplaces; mixing as many as five different generations in redesigned factories to maximise their different abilities, increasing productivity and job satisfaction. Our understanding of adulthood needs to adapt to this more “perennial” mindset.