Twixter is a

neologism In linguistics, a neologism (; also known as a coinage) is any newly formed word, term, or phrase that has achieved popular or institutional recognition and is becoming accepted into mainstream language. Most definitively, a word can be considered ...

that describes a new generation of young adults in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and other industrialized countries who are trapped, in a sense, ''betwixt'' (between)

adolescence Adolescence () is a transitional stage of human Developmental biology, physical and psychological Human development (biology), development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age o ...

and

adulthood An adult is an animal that has reached full growth. The biological definition of the word means an animal reaching sexual maturity and thus capable of reproduction. In the human context, the term ''adult'' has meanings associated with social an ...

. This Western neologism is somewhat analogous to the Japanese term parasite single. It was popularized by the Times magazine in 2005.

Behavior

Twixters are typically young adults who live with their parents or are otherwise not independent financially. If they are employed, they often have unsteady and low-paying jobs. They may have recently left university or high school, or recently embarked on a career.

Media coverage

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' published an article called "Twixter Generation:

Young Adult In medicine and the social sciences, a young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence, sometimes with some overlap. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages ...

s Who Won't Grow Up", about Twixters in January 2005, putting this relatively obscure demographic in the spotlight. The article focused on upper- and middle-class Twixters whose parents could support them. The article made no distinction between people who lived on their own with their parents' help and people who lived with their parents, nor did it mention lower-class Twixters similar to '' NEET''s and '' freeters'' in other societies.

Parallels in other societies

The emergence of twixters is not entirely new, as it is similar to social phenomena observed in other industrialized societies. Since the 1980s and 1990s,

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

has seen the growth of a parasite single or " freeter" segment of the youth population who live at home and work at undemanding jobs. The ''Hodo-Hodo zoku'' are employees who avoid promotion to minimize stress and maximize free time. Likewise, in Europe since the 1990s, there has been a growing number of '' NEET'', those "''N''ot engaged in ''E''ducation, ''E''mployment, or ''T''raining". In October 2007, former Minister of Economy and Finance of

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa called people in their twenties and still living with their families ''bamboccioni'' ("big, dummy boys"), stirring controversy within the Italian media. Newspapers received numerous letters from readers personally taking offense and pointing out that he knew little about the situation of a considerable part of twenty-something Italians, who live on approximately €1,000 per month and cannot afford to leave their parents’ house. A similar case is also seen in Spain, with the term ' to describe the youth who live with €1,000 salary (''mil euros''). In

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

, the minimum salary is €700 and the Greek media popularized the term the "€700 generation". This generation evolved in circumstances leading to the Greek debt crisis and participated in the 2010–2011 Greek protests.

References

External links

On the cover of Time MagazineTwixters, The Indie Comedy SeriesOn The Toronto StarKay R. Daly calls it "Peter Pan Syndrome"They Just Won't Grow Up
{{Young adult development Demographics Human development Precarious work Young adult

Behavior

Media coverage

Parallels in other societies

See also

References

External links