Completed adulthood & public policies

Introduction: About the problem of achieving adulthood and the project 9

PART I. CONCEPTUAL AND METHODOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK 17

Chapter 1. Transition into adulthood – theoretical frameworks 19
1.1. Understanding the complete transition into adulthood 19
1.1.1. Adulthood as a stage of psycho-social development 19
1.1.2. Adulthood as a social phenomenon/institution 20
1.1.3. Adulthood as a socio-cultural construct 21
1.1.4. Models of understanding adulthood 21
1.2. Criteria and markers of adulthood 22
1.2.1. Objective criteria for adulthood 22
1.2.2. Subjective criteria for adulthood 24
1.3. Theoretical approaches to the transition into adulthood 25
1.3.1. Life course and life course regime 25
1.3.2. Concepts of entering adulthood 28
1.3.3. Patterns of entering adulthood 30

Chapter 2. Research methods and procedures 37

PART II. THE TRANSITION INTO ADULTHOOD IN THE EXPERIENCES OF POLES 43

Chapter 3. Context and determinants of the process of entering adulthood in Poland 45
3.1. Cultural context 47
3.2. Structural context 49
3.3. Political context 51

Chapter 4. Schooling and adult education 53
4.1. The education situation of young adult Poles in public statistics 54
4.2. Selected theoretical reflections and results of empirical studies of educational careers 58
4.2.1. General education 60
4.2.2. Secondary education 62
4.2.3. Higher education 64
4.2.4. Adult education 65
4.3. Young adults’ educational paths 66
4.3.1. Paths of stopping at the level of primary education 67
4.3.2. Paths of achieving secondary education 69
4.3.3. Higher education paths 71

Chapter 5. Finding work and building a career 75
5.1. The labour market of young Poles in public statistics 76
5.1.1. Economically active young adults 77
5.1.2. Young adult temporary and part-time employees 78
5.1.3. The unemployed and inactive young adults 80
5.2. Selected theoretical and empirical analyses of professional careers 82
5.2.1. Categories describing the course of professional life 83
5.2.2. Types of career paths 84
5.3. Young adult career paths 87
5.3.1. Job plans 87
5.3.2. Ways to look for a job 89
5.3.3. Timing and linearity of entering the labour market 90
5.3.4. First professional experience 90
5.4. Young adults’ professional pathways – between traditional and postmodern pathways 93
5.4.1. The relative stability career 94
5.4.2. The permanent mobility career 96
5.5. Profesional career of young women – between professional and family roles 102
5.6. Job satisfaction 107

Chapter 6. Household and family formation 111
6.1. Household formation 111
6.1.1. Household formation as a stage in achieving completed adulthood 111
6.1.2. The housing situation of young adult Poles in public statistics 112
6.1.3. Paths to getting one’s own housing 115
6.1.4. Prolonged stay in a family home (nesters) 119
6.1.5. Perception of the state’s support 123
6.2. Family formation 124
6.2.1. The family situation of young adult Poles in public statistics 125
6.2.2. Forms of family life 130
6.2.3. Parenthood in achieving adulthood and stabilising family life 135
6.2.4. Split families and single parenthood 138
6.2.5. Perception of the state’s support 139

Chapter 7. Young adults in the public and political sphere 143
7.1. Young adults’ issues in political parties’ programmes and manifestos 144
7.2. How young adults are presented in political discourse 149
7.3. The political participation of young adults 158
7.4. Conventional political participation 160
7.5. Reasons for the low level of political participation 162
7.6. Young adults’ attitudes towards politics and policy 166

Chapter 8. Paths to reaching adulthood 173
8.1. Young adult markers of adulthood 173
8.2. Young adults’ concepts of entering adulthood 174
8.3. Young adults’ pathways into adulthood 176
8.4. Foster care leavers’ pathways into adulthood 182
8.4.1. Pathways of transitioning from education to the labour market 184
8.4.2. Pathways to establishing one’s own household and starting a family 186

PART III. PUBLIC POLICIES FOR COMPLETED ADULTHOOD IN POLAND. CONCLUSIONS AND DISCUSSIONS 189

Chapter 9. Public policies for completed adulthood in Poland. Conclusions and Discussions 191
9.1. Public policy and the life course approach 191
9.2. The post-transformation models of Polish social policy 193
9.3. Mapping public policies for young adults 196
9.3.1. Educational regulations 197
9.3.2. Labour market regulations 198
9.3.3. Housing regulations 199
9.3.4. Family regulations 200
9.3.5. Other public policy instruments 201
9.4. Interviewees’ evaluation of social policy 210

Conclusions. Proposals concerning social policy 213

References 215

List of tables 239

Appendices 241
Appendix 1. List of interviewees (IDI) 241
Appendix 2. List of interviews (FGI) 250
Appendix 3. In-depth interview (IDI) scenario 252
Appendix 4. Focus group interview (FGI) scenarios 256