Youth residential independence and autonomy - A comparative study

This article illustrates the situation of young people in terms of residential independence (living with parents vs. living outside the parental home) and the relationship with the labor market, the two factors that create the most difficulty in the transition to adulthood. Using data from the Labour Force Surveys (from 1983 to 1994), conducted in all European Union countries, some descriptive comparisons concerning residential trends and work status among three southern European countries (Spain, Greece, and Italy) and three central European countries (France, Germany, and the United Kingdom) are presented. Main aspects of recent trends are an increase in the nonactive population, with a majority living with their parents; stability in the proportion unemployed and their residential status; and a significant increase of young people with a job still living with their parents in the southern countries, especially those ages 25 to 29. In particular, the situation of young adults in the southern countries appeared to deteriorate between 1986 and 1994, with the failure to achieve full social integration as adults. Cultural and economic factors that explain this situation are discussed.