ABSTRACT
Young adulthood is identifi ed as an initial period of adulthood, as a developmental stage of a person’s life when transition processes from dependency on the family of origin towards independent life are most active. Young adults are ‘no longer children-not yet mature adults’, and so may have few legitimate means to make their voices heard. As Barry (2005) highlights, many young people lack status, rights and power in society. They are constrained by poverty, their prolonged dependence on the family and the state of transition towards adulthood, and the limited opportunities of access to higher education, employment, housing and citizenship make them vulnerable to social exclusion. In most European countries, young people’s entry into the labour market is not without problems, thus compared to the other age groups they experience the highest risk of unemployment and socioeconomic precariousness.
