For millennials who grew up in the era of “30 under 30” lists and girl boss feminism, it can often feel like you’ve failed if you haven’t ticked every life box by your thirties.

Professional success. Check. Buying a home. Check. Finding a partner. Check. Having children. Check.

Throughout the late 2010s, success was personified by an image of an immaculately dressed young woman (or man) who had founded their tech empire/start-up by the age of 30 and produced a few children who would be paraded on Instagram.

But in the 2020s, becoming that person who walks around with all of their ducks in a row is now almost impossible for most people.

For young adults in Britain, the conventional goalposts of adulthood keep shifting further into the distance.

We buy our first homes later because they’re so expensive. We meet our long-term partners later, partly because we have more choices courtesy of dating apps (a blessing and a curse). We will likely have children later (if we want them), partly because these aforementioned factors have combined to change the way we live in comparison to our parents or grandparents.

In the UK, the average age at which women have their first child has risen steadily from 23 since the 1970s. It’s now 29.6 and set to go up again. Similarly, the average age of a first-time homeowner is 33. That’s the oldest average age for first-time buyers in two decades.

There are many very good reasons to feel despondent about these statistics. Young women who want children in their 20s increasingly can’t afford to have them. Buying a home is not as accessible as it once was for people at the start of their working lives without family wealth.

This matters. Despite what longevity gurus like Bryan Johnson will tell........

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