Transition into adulthood, life course, inequalities and social change

The article tracks the existing body of research on transition into adulthood as a life stage key for attaining socio-economic position. It begins with a brief introduction into theoretical foundations of life course approach with the focus on the concept of institutionalized life course and the debate on deconstruction of normal biography. The core part of the text is divided into three subchapters focused on different aspects of intersection of life course and inequality. Firstly, so far the analyses of patterns of transitions into adulthood across Europe have been focusing mostly on various mechanisms of social reproduction, mainly within disadvantaged segments of the social structure, whereas transitions leading to changes still remain understudied. Secondly, the comparative studies on life course policies seem to confirm that the construction of patterns of transition into adulthood through public policies reflects principles behind country-specific social policy regimes, even if observable trends towards welfare state retrenchment fuelled by neoliberal rhetoric could be seen as crucial for reinforcing existing inequalities among young adults across Europe. The summary indicates gaps in knowledge about the intersection of life course, inequality and public policy which deserve a deeper empirical insight.