Measuring adulthood: A meta-analysis of the markers of adulthood scale

Adulthood is traditionally defined by the socio-demographic milestones of marriage, parenthood, and having a stable, long-term career. Yet today these milestones are typically delayed or unattainable for young people. We conducted a meta-analysis of studies using the Markers of Adulthood scale across the past three decades to assess (a) endorsement rates (%) of marriage, parenthood, and career as markers of adulthood, and (b) whether people think they have reached adulthood. Across 39 samples (N = 17,465), marriage and parenthood were endorsed by less than 25% of participants, whereas career was endorsed by 58%, suggesting that in today’s society career defines adult status more than marriage and parenthood. Furthermore, half of emerging adults (aged 18-29 years) considered themselves to have reached adulthood despite traditional milestones of adulthood occurring less frequently and later in life than ever before. Our findings have three main implications for researchers measuring adult status: These are to (1) focus less on the socio-demographic milestones of marriage and parenthood; (2) include wider age ranges in research; and (3) explore cultural differences. Reducing focus on socio-demographic milestones and including more diverse samples will allow us to better understand adulthood and provide support for adults’ identity development and psychological well-being.