Leaving home in Britain and Spain

This paper compares leaving home for a cohort of British and Spanish young people, aged in their early 30s in 1991. These two countries have been chosen as they are representative of a Northern and Southern European pattern of leaving home. British young people leave home earlier and are less likely to leave home for partnership than their Spanish counterparts. The analysis presented here compares the impact of family resources, labour-market experiences, and family structure on the transition out of the parental home. This comparison establishes how young people from similar backgrounds in both countries have different experiences of leaving home and demonstrates the importance of cultural norms of leaving home on the transition out of the parental home.