In a culture where media increasingly permeate everyday life experiences, this study explores where emerging adult interviewees acquire gender norm information and how this information is applied to future gender norm expectations. Qualitative research has considered emerging adults’ future life expectations; however, it has not concurrently explored everyday life gender norm experiences, media gender norm perceptions, and future gender norm expectations in family and career. This study’s 20 in-depth interviews (M age = 19.05 years) with male and female undergraduate students were analyzed using grounded theory method (GTM). Findings revealed interviewees used everyday life gender norm experiences to support or challenge media gender norm perceptions. The majority of interviewees also perceived media undergoing a “shift” to mirror everyday life gender norm experiences. Additionally, interviewees often discussed childhood everyday life experiences rather than media perceptions when articulating future gender norm expectations. However, while most female interviewees expected to manage future household, childcare, and career responsibilities, male interviewees expected a 50/50 split, to take part in less childcare, and expected future partners to work, contributing to household finances. The discussion considers the ways the interviewees integrated everyday life and media gender norms in conversation, how they may use these realms to shape future expectations, and the consequences that might arise if these expectations are not met.

在一种媒体日益渗透到日常生活体验的文化中，本研究探讨了新兴的成年受访者在哪里获取性别规范信息，以及如何将这些信息应用于未来的性别规范期望。定性研究考虑了新兴成年人对未来生活的期望。然而，它并没有同时探讨日常生活中性别规范的经验，媒体性别规范的认知以及对家庭和职业的未来性别规范的期望。这项研究的20次深度访谈（M年龄= 19.05岁），使用扎根理论方法（GTM）对男女大学生进行了分析。调查结果显示，受访者利用日常生活中的性别规范经验来支持或挑战媒体的性别规范观念。大多数受访者还认为媒体正在经历“转变”，以反映日常生活中的性别规范经历。此外，受访者在阐述未来的性别规范期望时，通常讨论的是儿童的日常生活经历，而不是媒体的看法。但是，尽管大多数女性受访者期望管理未来的家庭，育儿和职业责任，而男性受访者期望以50/50的比例参加，减少参加育儿活动，并期望未来的伴侣工作，为家庭财务做出贡献。