It’s Complicated: Everyday Discrimination Across the Transition Into Adulthood

Abstract

Experiences during emerging adulthood hold particular importance for future health and economic well-being. This study uses Panel Study of Income Dynamics Transition into Adulthood Supplement data to explore growth trajectories of perceived discrimination across the transition into adulthood and to examine how gendered racialized group status might shape perceived discrimination among U.S. emerging adult men and women racialized as white, non-Hispanic, Black, non-Hispanic, or Hispanic (n = 2532) using multilevel models. Results showed that as emerging adults age there is a decreasing pattern of perceived everyday discrimination, though there were individual differences in the rate and direction of change. Women racialized as Black, non-Hispanic had significantly lower perceived discrimination than all other groups except Hispanic women. Each of the six gendered racialized subgroups had similar patterns of perceived discrimination over time. More research is needed to better understand differences in the rate and direction of change in perceived discrimination over time.

Keywords

transition into adulthood everyday discrimination perceived discrimination MLM intersectionality life course

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