ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of the book. The book focuses on the problems that young adults face, which may mean that they fall back on parental financial and emotional support. Generational inequalities and the potential for conflict became an issue for public debate in the USA in the 1980s, when the burden of public spending on pensions and health care for older people was highlighted. Research has emphasised the crucial role played by families and how this is a source of intragenerational inequality, with some parents being able to support their children and others less able to do so. Psychologists argue that the transition has become more volitional and the importance of 'feeling' adult, not merely 'being' adult, has also been stressed. Sociologists argue that cultural and economic factors have played a crucial role in slowing and changing the path to adulthood.