From underperforming schools to unsafe neighborhoods, from institutional racism to other structural barriers, hindrances often stand in the way of financial success for young adults from disadvantaged backgrounds. Given these challenges, many young adults lose hope, thinking they have no way of changing their life trajectories.

However, there is a path that frequently leads to the “American Dream” and away from poverty. This path is called the “Success Sequence.” The sequence entails three steps: (1) getting at least a high-school degree, (2) working full-time, and (3) marrying before having children. Young adults who manage to follow the sequence – even in the face of challenges – are much more likely to forge a path to a better economic life.

Join Brad Wilcox and Wendy Wang as they discuss how poverty is basically nonexistent among young adults who followed all three steps according to their new analysis of data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth.

Objectives: Participants will be able to:

1. Recognize how education, work, and marriage put young adults on a path to success.
2. Understand the link between marrying before having children and economic success in life.
3. Describe how the Success Sequence works despite structural barriers.

Presenters: Brad Wilcox, Ph.D., University of Virginia, and Wendy R. Wang, Institute for Family Studies

Resources:

• Webinar Slide Deck Presentation
• www.success-sequence.org
• Wang, W. and Wilcox, B. The Millennial Success Sequence: Marriage, Kids, and the ‘Success Sequence’ among Young Adults
  Report, American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and Institute for Family Studies, June 2017.
• Wang, W. and Wilcox, B. (2022). The Power of the Success Sequence for Disadvantaged Young Adults