What does it mean to be an adult? How boomers, millennials and generation Z see maturity

People legally become adults when they turn 18, but that doesn't mean everyone magically becomes more mature and independent at that age. Growing up is learned over time, rather than happening overnight.

The idea of ​​what makes someone an adult has changed over time. Many years ago, people weren't considered truly adults until they had a family, which was expected of them as soon as possible. But that's no longer as relevant today, which shows that each generation has developed its own beliefs about what truly makes someone mature.

Older generations, like Boomers and Generation X, are known for valuing traditional responsibilities. For them, adulthood is like a role you enter when you reach a certain age. Younger people tend to see growing up more as a goal, and a rather unattainable one at that. This can sometimes lead to conflict.

Boomers believe that a true adult is someone who is not afraid to take responsibility and support their family.

This generation was known for being almost obsessed with work and believed that the financial security that came with it was an essential part of adulthood. To them, an adult was someone who could support themselves and stand on their own two feet, without needing help from others.

The way perfect families were portrayed in classic TV shows like "Leave It to Beaver" and "The Dick Van Dyke Show" wasn't that far from the reality for boomers. Getting married and having children were an inevitable part of life for that generation, and they stuck to traditional gender roles. Men were the breadwinners, while women took care of the kids and the house. Fitting into that mold was just part of growing up.

Baby boomers equated adulthood with responsibility and independence, and expected to achieve this at a fairly young age. Boomers did not have much time to figure out what kind of future they wanted, as their parents felt they should move on to the next stage of life immediately.

Generation X also valued independence, but not in quite the same way.

Being independent was important to Generation Xers, but it wasn't something they had to accept until they reached a certain age. Instead, they learned it when they were young. Because their parents worked long hours, Generation Xers were largely responsible for taking care of themselves, Yourtango reports.

This gave them an even stronger sense of self-sufficiency than the boomers. They were able to handle things on their own because they had no other choice, not because they learned to do so only after they started a family. It gave them the impression that real adults could solve their own problems and get things done with minimal outside support.

These skills have made Gen X great for leadership positions in companies, but they don't neglect their families either. In this way, Gen X, like boomers, sees taking on responsibility as an essential part of adulthood.

Millennials have reexamined traditional views of adulthood, focusing on their duty to the wider world, not just to themselves.

A 2019 survey found that millennials wanted to see themselves as true adults, but found it difficult to do so. They felt that "it gets uncomfortable if you're not fully grown by the age of 26," but many also reported feeling a great deal of stress about having to meet a perfect ideal of what adulthood should look like.

Millennials are also known for bringing their moral and ethical values ​​to almost every aspect of their lives. Many strive to build careers that are meaningful and make a difference, or choose companies that support the same things they believe in. Unlike older generations, who saw their personal and professional lives as separate, millennials see everything as connected.

As a result, millennials have come to see adulthood as a time of purpose. Their responsibility has become more about making an impact than about building a personal safety net. They don't ignore starting a family or establishing financial security, but they also see adulthood as a time of responsibility that goes beyond just taking care of themselves.

Generation Z is struggling to find their footing as adults, which is causing them to question how important expected life milestones really are.

This youngest generation is in a unique position. In a 2024 survey, respondents said that 27 is the right age to become an adult, meaning that many members of Generation Z have not yet reached the age of “true” adulthood or have only just reached it.

Generation Z tends to learn important financial concepts, like budgeting, earlier than previous generations, but that doesn't change the fact that they themselves don't have enough money in their accounts. They expressed concerns about being able to afford housing and having children, which older generations used as indicators of true adulthood.

Because they simply can't support themselves, about a third of Gen Zers still live with their parents, even though many of them are employed. This puts them in an awkward position, as older generations sometimes judge them for not being true adults, while they know how to do their best. They don't see the traditional checklist - financial independence, buying a house and starting a family - as a true measure of adulthood, because they know that for many people, that's simply not possible.