Conclusion: Tackling the Risks of Young People’s Transitions to Adulthood
摘要
This chapter provides a summary of the main findings of the book and offers theoretical insights into key areas of youth transition research. The findings revealed similarities and differences across the five national contexts covered by the book: Japan, Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Norway. Similarities included the gendered nature of transitions and higher life satisfaction among those who completed their housing and domestic transitions. The results also highlighted differences between men and women in the relationship between school-to-work transition and life satisfaction. Men in precarious employment were least satisfied with their lives, while in the case of women, the strength of the male-breadwinner norm was found to influence life satisfaction among those out of work. The different youth welfare regimes were noticeably related to transition patterns across the five countries. Assessing previous typologies of youth welfare policy highlights the need to consider non-European contexts such as Japan which do not fit easily into existing Eurocentric models. In what follows, we focus particularly on the gendered nature of transitions in the contemporary context, as well as further perspectives on gender equality in the international context. Furthermore we reflect on the challenges of youth social welfare in light of the new risks faced by young adults in Japan and other advanced countries.