Childhood and youth research widely recognizes that it is inadequate to consider the transition from childhood to youth to adulthood in terms of a linear progression from dependence to independence...

Childhood and youth research widely recognizes that it is inadequate to consider the transition from childhood to youth to adulthood in terms of a linear progression from dependence to independence (Furlong 2010; Wyn and Dwyer 1999). Youth is an age group that is in transition from childhood to adulthood, and consequently young people’s status is often ambiguous. In the minority world, due to changes in family structures, education and the labour market (see below), youth transitions have become longer, interrupted and more complex. This has led to more options for young people as they may shift between work and education, but it has also created much uncertainty and increased financial dependency on their parents (Furlong 2010). In the minority world, young people are now more likely to undergo a series of transitions, moving in and out of independence and dependence in different contexts and in relation to different people (EGRIS 2001), and yet still the ultimate goal is to achieve independence (Gillies 2000). Similarly, in the majority world, the notion of ‘youth transition’ from dependent child to independent adult is problematic, since young people negotiate and renegotiate their interdependence with their parents and siblings throughout the life course. Thus, the notion of interdependence is a useful way of understanding how young people move in and out of relative autonomy and dependence (Punch 2002a).