Conference Program

Young adults today face significant challenges in achieving traditional markers of adulthood, such as stable employment, home ownership, partnership, or parenthood. This paper explores how Millennials (born 1980-1995) and Gen Z (born 1996-2008) in Greece and Italy navigate the tensions between precarity and societal expectations, often experiencing prolonged transitions into adulthood, resulting in an extended “youthhood” (Côté’, 2000).

Drawing on Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus, field, and symbolic violence, (Bourdieu, 1990, 1998, 2000) as well as Côté’s notion of “arrested adulthood,” (Côté’, 2000) this study conceptualizes these experiences as a precarious habitus, showing how structural inequalities shape generational dispositions, life trajectories, aspirations, and strategies for autonomy. In line with intergenerational inequalities by Woodman, Shildrick & MacDonald (2020) this work considers how the socio-political environment reinforces structural barriers that may limit young adults in their transition to adulthood.

Using secondary data from the European Social Survey, this paper examines patterns of socio-economic precarity and highlights how young adults in Greece and Italy, Millennials (born 1980-1995) and Gen Z (born 1996-2008) navigate the transition to adulthood, illustrating how precarious living conditions impact various dimensions of their lives. Despite high levels of educational attainment, many young adults face significant barriers to achieving normative milestones, producing a sense of self-disconnection and uncertainty. These experiences of precarity shape not only individual pathways but also collective transitions, thereby shaping collective futures. By integrating the notion of precarious habitus with empirical analysis, the paper provides insight into the evolving challenges of transitioning into adulthood and the strategies young people adopt to navigate precarity and secure pathways toward independence.