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Suggested Citation:"PART I Introduction and Conceptual Framework--1 Introduction." National Research

Council and Institute of Medicine. 2005. Growing Up Global: The Changing Transitions to Adulthood in
Developing Countries. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11174.

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between adolescence and young adulthood alone; rather, interventions must engage both
earlier and later developmental periods as well.
The interrelationship between success in adolescence and opportunities at later phases
of the life cycle is particularly salient in the case of gender inequalities that are socially
and institutionally embedded. There is now clear evidence that countries with more equal
rights for women in various domains, including politics and the law, social and economic
matters, and marriage and divorce, have smaller gender gaps in such key outcome
indicators as health, schooling, and political participation (King and Mason, 2001). It is
rarely noted, however, that these gender gaps, which are measured for adults, take shape
during adolescence. Indeed, in most societies, local definitions of success may differ
profoundly for girls and boys. By contrast, the panel’s definitions of success are gender
neutral and embody an emerging set of international norms about gender equality that
have been embodied in many international agreements and conventions.
A second consideration in defining what is meant by successful transition to adulthood
is the need to make it sensitive to the enormous diversity of developing societies,
appropriate to local situations, and responsive to the dynamics of historical change. It is
clear that there are prevailing cultural expectations and traditions about what constitutes
the attainment of maturity, and these may vary not only in different parts of the world but
also across different subgroups in the same country. For example, in some contexts, the
establishment of an independent household may be a marker of adulthood, whereas in
others living with one’s parents is entirely consistent with the assumption of all other
adult roles. Furthermore, in some cultures in which strong family and community
linkages are valued more than autonomy, success may be measured by the ability to
mobilize social networks rather than by the ability to act autonomously (Mensch et al.,
2003c).
Finally, it is also necessary to conceptualize successful transitions relative to a
particular time in history (for this report, it is the present) and to the dynamics and speed
of societal change that may be under way. What might have been considered a successful
transition to adulthood before the globalization of production, the pervasive spread of
information technology, and the greater access to a transnational and homogenizing youth
culture may no longer be considered so today. In the contemporary world, success
requires competence in coping with the reverberations of rapid global and societal change
on daily life—a competence that cannot be entirely provided within the family but that
requires extrafamilial inputs. In short, a successful transition entails being prepared for a
changing future rather than one based on extrapolations of the past.
While success is ultimately measured at the individual level, nothing is clearer than
that the burden of enhancing successful transitions to adult-
Page 26
Suggested Citation:"PART I Introduction and Conceptual Framework--1 Introduction." National Research
Council and Institute of Medicine. 2005. Growing Up Global: The Changing Transitions to Adulthood in
Developing Countries. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11174.

Save

Cancel

hood in developing countries is primarily on society and its institutions at the local,
national, and international level, rather than on particular individuals or their families.
Essential social supports for success include access to quality schooling and other
educational resources outside the classroom, adequate health care, livelihood training and
job opportunities, resources for civic engagement and family and community models, and
supports for positive social development. The existence of norms and the availability and
effectiveness of laws and institutions that can support the accomplishment of the major
developmental tasks of adolescence must become a major and obligatory concern of any
society seeking to enhance successful transitions to adulthood.
In light of these various considerations, the panel sought a conceptualization of
successful transitions to adulthood that is both generally and locally applicable; that is
predicated on preparation in prior developmental stages, especially adolescence, but also
childhood; that is appropriate despite pervasive gender and socioeconomic disparities as
well as different endowments and capabilities; that is open to shaping by both antecedent
and subsequent life course interventions; and that recognizes the imperatives of
contemporary global change. The defining attributes of such a conceptualization of
successful transition to adulthood, which must be seen within the constraints of personal
endowments and capabilities, include at least the following:
 Good mental and physical health, including reproductive health, and the
knowledge and means to sustain health during adulthood.
 An appropriate stock of human and social capital to enable an individual to be a
productive adult member of society.
 The acquisition of prosocial values and the ability to contribute to the collective
well-being as citizen and community participant.
 Adequate preparation for the assumption of adult social roles and obligations,
including the roles of spouse or partner, parent, and household and family manager.
 The capability to make choices through the acquisition of a sense of self and a
sense of personal competence.
 A sense of general well-being.
Although no claim can be made that this is an exhaustive listing of the attributes of
successful transition to adulthood, it does capture what the panel views as essential
components of that process. What can be claimed is that the essential components listed
can serve as a guide for the interpretation of a conceptual framework (presented in the
next chapter) as well as for the design and targeting of societal interventions to maximize
the attainability of those attributes.
Page 27

Suggested Citation:"PART I Introduction and Conceptual Framework--1 Introduction." National Research

Council and Institute of Medicine. 2005. Growing Up Global: The Changing Transitions to Adulthood in
Developing Countries. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11174.