Symposium: Adulthood Unfolding: Insights from the Millennium Cohort Study and Next Steps
Parenthood and Mental Health: Findings from Next Steps aged 32 (Rosie Mansfield, UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies)
Between ages 25 and 32, the share of parents in the Next Steps cohort more than doubled, with just over half reporting children by age 32. Although this remains early in the reproductive window for this generation, it provides the first opportunity to examine parenthood and mental health in these data. Studying such effects is challenging due to unequal selection into parenthood and requires a lifecourse perspective. Using data from Next Steps this study examined associations between parenthood, psychological distress and life satisfaction at age 32, accounting for observable selection effects. Results show a small positive association between parenthood and mental health, with males reporting better outcomes than females. Parenthood increased life satisfaction more than it reduced psychological distress. We explore inequalities and patterns within these results. Among those without children, fertility intentions mattered: males who did not want children reported the lowest life satisfaction, while females uncertain about fertility intentions reported poorer mental health. Overall, parenthood offers modest but unevenly distributed mental health benefits shaped by social inequalities.
Living arrangements during the transition to adulthood among Gen Z (Alina Pelikh, UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies)
The transition to adulthood is traditionally marked by key milestones, including leaving the parental home, forming partnerships, and becoming a parent. Evidence suggests that, compared to previous generations, these transitions are increasingly delayed among Generation Z in the United Kingdom. Drawing on data from the MCS, this paper examines living arrangements and early family transitions at age 23 and how these vary by socioeconomic position, educational attainment, and ethnicity, to provide a more comprehensive understanding of changing pathways to adulthood in the UK. Findings highlight substantial delays in early family transitions compared to previous generations. At age 23, the majority (68%) of participants live with their parents, with financial constraints, such as the inability to afford independent housing or the need to save for a deposit, mentioned by respondents as the main reason. Despite this, over half (54%) of the respondents report being in a romantic relationship, although only a minority (17%) cohabit with a partner. Parenthood remains relatively uncommon, with just one in ten participants having children by this age, indicating a shift in the timing of family formation compared to previous generations.
Women’s pay penalty and job quality: Initial findings from Next Steps at Age 32 (Bozena Wielgoszewska, UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies)
Although the gap is closing gradually, women continue to earn significantly less than men. While in the past this gap was partly explained by women having lower educational qualifications, 32-year-old women today are on average at least as well qualified as their male counterparts. This shifts the focus to other factors, such as motherhood penalty.This briefing explores the extent to which gender pay gaps persist among Next Steps cohort members, born in 1989-90. It looks at gender pay gaps between both men and women with and without children, and the extent to which these differences can be explained by the characteristics of employees themselves and their jobs, including perceptions of ‘job quality’. Results indicate that women’s median hourly pay was around £2 less than men and even larger among parents. Mothers were much more likely to work part-time and this, together with differences in socio-demographic characteristics and work experience, accounts for some of the gap. However, even when comparing individuals with the same characteristics and working in the same types of jobs, women without children earn 9% less and mothers 16% less, on average, than men without children.
Identifying risk factors for gambling problems in early adulthood: Findings from the UK Millennium Cohort Study (Aase Villadsen, UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies)
Gambling is a common activity in Britain, with approximately half of the population engaging in some form of gambling each month. While for most individuals gambling is a benign and recreational pursuit, for a minority it can become problematic and lead to significant adverse consequences. Identifying individuals at heightened risk is therefore essential for the development of effective prevention strategies. This study draws on data from the MCS to examine predictors of problem gambling in young adulthood (age 23), using measures collected at earlier developmental stages. Preliminary analyses, based on unimputed data, indicate that being male is the strongest and most significant risk factor. Additional risk factors include early engagement in gambling, excessive gaming and social media use, poorer mental health, higher levels of extraversion and neuroticism, conduct problems, police involvement, substance use, poorer physical health, and higher body mass index. In contrast, protective factors include greater school connectedness, stronger moral attitudes, higher conscientiousness, greater self-esteem, and overall wellbeing.
