It’s no secret that Gen Z is struggling. In fact, one of the main reasons they’re finding life so hard is due to their reaching traditional adulthood milestones far later than any generation before them, including moving out & getting married. More of them are staying in their parents’ home for longer. Let’s find out exactly why that is.
No need to get a driver’s license
The idea of getting a driver’s license whenever you can doesn’t really fly with Gen Z teens. Teen licensing rates have dropped quite a bit compared to the late 1990s, and many younger people have been a lot slower to start driving. There are fewer 16- & 17-year-olds who are licensed than there were in earlier generations. That’s rather telling.
Since they don’t have a license, teens are far less independent than previous generations, so they miss out on milestones like doing their first commute to work alone. They’re not going to be working farther from home. Simple habits, like running errands by themselves, aren’t things that they’re used to because they don’t have opportunities for them.
Summer jobs aren’t as important
Getting a summer job as a teen used to be a rite of passage for many people. But not anymore. Gen Z grew up during a time when youth employment was on a decline, with summer employment rates for ages 16-17 being one of the hardest hit groups. Figures fell from 41.0% in 2000 to 22.7% in 2009.
As a result, fewer teens were able to build early work habits & earn their own income. They never learned to manage job schedules during their high school years, so the phase of getting a “real” job came far later than it did for other generations.
A lack of entry-level jobs
Speaking of jobs, when Gen Z tried entering the workforce, entry-level job opportunities were a lot harder to find. Workers with little-to-no experience found a much smaller pool of positions than they expected. That’s pretty much all of Gen Z. As such, it was a lot harder for them to land their first stable job right away, and that had a knock-on effect on their sense of independence.
Quite a few Gen Z job seekers spent more time doing internships or doing temporary work than in full-time employment. They may have also tried doing gig work. Either way, it took them far longer to get into a long-term career.
Living with parents is more common
It has become far more normal for Gen Z to stay in their family home than it was for earlier generations. Data shows that around 57% of Americans aged 18 to 24 lived with at least one parent in 2023, up from 53% in 1993. Sure, that sounds like a small gap.
But it actually means millions of young adults are still in their childhood homes, rather than standing on their own two feet. They’re living at home for a much longer time. Due to this, they’re postponing rent payments & solo living, along with the other day-to-day responsibilities of being an adult.
Marriage and kids happen later
Another reason Gen Z is delaying adulthood is the fact that they’re reaching family-related milestones later than those before them. Around 50% of Americans aged 25-29 in 1993 were married, but only 29% could say the same in 2023. Parenthood has faced a similar decline. 60% of 30-34-year-olds in 1993 had a child, yet only 27% did in 2023.
It appears that many Gen Zers are waiting to form long-term partnerships. They are still having families, but far later in their timelines than previous generations, and that means they’re delaying becoming adults at the same time.
Student loan debt lasts longer
Unfortunately, student loan balances don’t disappear all that easily for Gen Z adults. The share of them carrying student loan debt has risen quite a bit over the years, and so has the balance of these debts. The median inflation-adjusted balance of student loan debt was around $6,000 to $7,000 in 1992 for Americans aged 25-29.
By 2022, the balance increased to $16,000 for the same age group, and to $20,000 for those aged 30-34. Many young adults are trapped by their education debt during their twenties & thirties. It’s a lot harder for them to become adults because of that.
Buying a first home happens later
Many young adults are getting their first home far later than previous generations did. In 2025, the average age of a first-time homebuyer was the highest it had ever been recorded, at age 40.
First-time buyers only represented 21% of all real estate sales that year. Why is that important?
Because it means that young adults don’t get to experience the independence that comes with having their own home until much later, they’re still relying on their parents for everything. As a direct result, they don’t develop the necessary skills that come from being an adult until far later.
15 Things Gen X Did in the Past That Would Get Gen Z Cancelled Today
Gen X did things that just won’t cut it in today’s “online forever” climate. If Gen Z attempted even half of this, they’d get roasted, ratioed, and hashtag-cancelled before the TikTok even finished loading.
15 Things Gen X Did in the Past That Would Get Gen Z Cancelled Today