Leaving home in Europe: the experience of cohorts born around 1960

In this paper we analyse the leaving home experience of men and women born around 1960 in 16 European countries. We use extensive empirical evidence from Fertility and Family Survey data, providing a large-scale comparison. We focus on some key indicators of the process of leaving home: the timing, sequencing and synchronisation of leaving home with the end of education and the formation of a first union. As far as these dimensions of leaving home are concerned, Europe appears to be extremely heterogeneous, and explaining this will undoubtedly be a challenge. The complex interplay between the present economic situation of young people and long-term institutional and cultural factors is thought to be the main driving factor. Our findings constitute a benchmark against which subsequent behaviour, such as that of cohorts coming of age after the fall of the Iron Curtain, could be compared. (AUTHORS)

[1]  C. Holdsworth Leaving home in Spain: a regional analysis. , 1998, International journal of population geography : IJPG.

[2]  Dennis P. Hogan,et al.  The Variable Order of Events in the Life Course. , 1978 .

[3]  B. Pfau-Effinger Change of family policies in the socio-cultural context of European studies. , 1999, Comparative social research.

[4]  Catherine Villeneuve-Gokalp Les jeunes partent toujours au même âge de chez leurs parents , 2000 .

[5]  W. Clark,et al.  Leaving home and leaving the State: evidence from the United States , 2000 .

[6]  Marlis Buchmann,et al.  The Script of Life in Modern Society: Entry into Adulthood in a Changing World , 1989 .

[7]  J. Latten,et al.  Fertility and family surveys in countries of the ECE region : standard country report : The Netherlands , 1997 .

[8]  F. Billari,et al.  Household and Union Formation in a Mediterranean Fashion: Italy and Spain , 2002 .

[9]  M. Mitterauer,et al.  A History of Youth , 1993 .

[10]  M. Bessin Les catégories d’âge face aux mutations temporelles de la société , 1996, Gérontologie et société.

[11]  D. J. Kaa Europe and its Population: The Long View , 1999 .

[12]  J. Hajnal,et al.  European marriage patterns in perspective. , 1976 .

[13]  F. Goldscheider,et al.  Recent Changes in U.S. Young Adult Living Arrangements in Comparative Perspective , 1997 .

[14]  F. Goldscheider,et al.  Semiautonomy and Leaving Home in Early Adulthood , 1986 .

[15]  A. Liefbroer From youth to adulthood: Understanding changing patterns of family formation from a life course perspective , 1999 .

[16]  K. Kiernan Leaving home: Living arrangements of young people in six west-European countries , 1986, European journal of population = Revue europeenne de demographie.

[17]  C. Mulder,et al.  Migration and marriage in the life course: a method for studying synchronized events , 1993, European journal of population = Revue europeenne de demographie.

[18]  P. Baiz,et al.  TRANSITIONS VERS L'?GE ADULTE DES GENERATIONS ESPAGNOLES NEES EN 1940,1950 ET 1960 , 1998 .

[19]  D. J. van de Kaa,et al.  Europe's second demographic transition. , 1987, Population bulletin.

[20]  R. Wall Historical Development of the Household in Europe , 1995 .

[21]  GeorgeA. Silver Switzerland , 1989, The Lancet.

[22]  D. Reher Family Ties in Western Europe: Persistent Contrasts , 1998 .

[23]  A. C. Kerckhoff Getting Started: Transition To Adulthood In Great Britain , 1990 .

[24]  J. Cordón Youth Residential Independence and Autonomy , 1997 .

[25]  C. Holdsworth Leaving Home in Britain and Spain , 2000 .

[26]  F. Goldscheider,et al.  Leaving Home Before Marriage: Ethnicity, Familism, and Generational Relationships , 1993 .

[27]  D. Reher Perspectives on the family in Spain, past and present , 1998 .

[28]  V Masson,et al.  Leaving home. , 1995, N & HC perspectives on community : official publication of the National League for Nursing.

[29]  M. Marini,et al.  The Order of Events in the Transition to Adulthood. , 1984 .

[30]  D Courgeau,et al.  Interrelations between first home-ownership constitution of the family and professional occupation in France. , 1992 .

[31]  R. Wall Leaving Home and Living Alone: An Historical Perspective , 1989 .

[32]  K. Mayer The Paradox of Global Social Change and National Path Dependencies: Life Course Patterns in Advanced Societies , 2001 .

[33]  P. Laslett Family forms in historic Europe: Family and household as work group and kin group: areas of traditional Europe compared , 1983 .