Intergenerational and Gender Perspectives on Transnational Families: Divergent Patterns of Becoming Adulthood between Job Insecurity, Postponement, and Childlessness

The transition to adulthood is a context-specific process marked by a series of life events, including school-to-work transitions and family formation. In transnational families, divergences in the process of becoming an adult across countries are often attributed to the welfare state or persistent cultural differences. However, less attention has been paid to the social meanings and intergenerational practices surrounding this transition. Migration itself can influence intergenerational and gender dynamics within families over time.

This paper presents findings from a qualitative research study investigating the migration, family, education, and employment trajectories of 56 families with an immigration background in Italy. Key informants, 17 first-generation migrant parents, and 56 second-generation children were interviewed in 2011 (Wave I). Key informants and 13 of the 56 children were re-interviewed in 2020 (Wave II). Thematic analysis focused on the longitudinal interviews and the participants' representations of their transition to adulthood, particularly regarding: 1) The transition from secondary school to tertiary education; 2) The transition from education to the labor market 3) The transition to parenthood.

Results revealed intergenerational and gender-divergent patterns, as well as discrepancies between expectations and practices, at the intersection of socioeconomic resources, education, and citizenship. The research underscores the role of school tracks, intergenerational obligations, gender asymmetries in the labor market, and job insecurity in shaping the migrants' transitions to adulthood in unexpected ways, often leading to childlessness or postponement of parenthood. Traditional markers of adulthood are negotiated transnationally, across generations, and over time. The study offers theoretical, methodological, and policy implications.