An Examination of the Expected Timing of Transitions into Adulthood among Rural Men and Women

The timing of transitions into adulthood has critical implications for early adulthood development, yet few research studies on this topic exist, particularly involving rural youth. We utilized a nationwide sample of geographically diverse rural youth from 34 rural locations in the United States to investigate adolescents’ expected transitions into adulthood. The vast majority of rural men and women planned to get married and become parents, however, women expected earlier transition times into adulthood. Results also indicated a number of individual, family, and community variables related to the expectation of marriage and parenthood and the expected timing of marriage and parenthood. Notably, we found that whereas women were generally more likely than men to plan to get married and become a parent, this observed gender gap decreased as educational aspirations increased.