by: Allison Hanes
Young adults are living with their parents in ever increasing numbers, according to data from the most recent census released Wednesday by Statistics Canada, but sociologists attribute a large part of the latest rise to choice rather than necessity. Staying in school longer and difficulty finding a stable, full-time job are historical reasons behind a trend that has been on the upswing for the last two decades. But experts believe the most recent rise has been in large part fuelled by shifting family values - both traditional and liberal. On the one hand, newcomers to Canada often expect their children to remain in the family home until they marry, said Marc Molgat, a sociology professor at the University of Ottawa. But on the other, he said, baby boomers often have a relationship with their adolescent and adult children that is more akin to friendship compared to past generations. Once young people have made it through secondary school in particular, there's a lot less control over what time you have to come in, who you're seeing," said Prof. Molgat, who has as studied the reasons why young adults are choosing not to leave the nest. "In many cases young people are able to bring back into the parental home a love or a partner.
"Young people have a lot more freedom to live out forms of autonomy within the family home than in the past." Some are so-called boomerang kids who leave to pursue a temporary job on a cruise ship, break into their chosen field by working contracts or travel the world for long periods, while others just never fly the coop. Twenty years ago, just shy of a third of young adults between 20 and 29 lived with their parents. In 2006, 43.5% of the 4 million Canadians in that age bracket did, up from 41,1% in 2001. The trend held true for those in their early 20s as much as for those pushing 30. The census found that a full 60.3% of 20- to 24-year-olds resided at home in 2006, compared to just 49.3% a decade earlier. Meanwhile 26% of adults between the ages of 26 and 29 lived with their parents up from 15.6% two decades ago. Darlene Wang, a 31-year-old Toronto investment advisor and entrepreneur, said both family values and a hard-nosed business sense have kept her living in her parents home all these years. "I'm Chinese and it's really cultural for us to stay at home until we are ready to be married and then we literally leave our family's home to go to our new home," said Ms. Wang who is engaged to be married in 2008.
She has put her earnings from her successful career in finance toward the purchase of several income properties, her own business ventures and investments. Paying rent to someone else made a whole lot less sense to Ms. Wang than collecting it herself. "A long time ago I decided I was never going to pay rent," she said. "So until I could afford to live on my own, I had to interest in paying someone else's mortgages. So that led me to make the decision that I did not want to waste money on living expenses that were not directly related to my well-being." There have been trade-offs, of course. She's had the means to travel internationally quite frequently, but she had to invite her parents to the parties she threw until she has a place of her own to play hostess. Questions surrounding the phenomenon revolve around whether young adults today are truly benefitting or simply prolonging adolescence. Bigger homes in suburbia and affluence mitigate toward children staying at home. With little or no constraints from their parents, James Ct, a sociology professor at the University of Western Ontario said many kids have no incentive to go live in a ratty little apartment on their own if they would be missing out on the comforts of a large home loaded with amenities like pools, Jacuzzis, big screen TVs, and access to a car. Many have the basement to themselves - while a handful he's heard about even take over the master bedroom from their doting folks, Prof. Ct said.
Lower family income or a large number of siblings are factors that push young adults to move out sooner - either because their parents can't afford to support them anymore or because they are challenged to assert their individuality in a crowded house. Prof. Ct said living at home longer can somewhat delay the full maturation into adulthood. "I think people mature through experience and you're limiting your experience if you stay home," he said. "That's what maturity is about, it's about living life. If it's kind of on hold and you just repeat the same thing over and over again and you just go home to your parents place and never have responsibilities like paying rent and buying food, then you're not going to get that sort of experience to help you grow." Prof. Molgat said young adults living with their parents to freeload are "few and far between." "It doesn't mean that they don't have any obligations," he said. "Many people who live at home pay room and board. In many circumstances there are obligations linked to household chores... The other obligation is more of a moral obligation toward their parents to be doing something, and this comes back often... that young people say well it's expected of me the I'm either working or I'm studying and if I'm not doing either I'm looking for a job and if I'm not doing that then I shouldn't be staying at home." But he said there is a delay to full-fledged independence. "They're not independent, but they're autonomous, but they're dependent at the same time," he said. "They don't feel that they've obtained full adult status because they haven't made that final transition."
Young adults are living with their parents in ever increasing numbers, according to data from the most recent census released Wednesday by Statistics Canada, but sociologists attribute a large part of the latest rise to choice rather than necessity. Staying in school longer and difficulty finding a stable, full-time job are historical reasons behind a trend that has been on the upswing for the last two decades. But experts believe the most recent rise has been in large part fuelled by shifting family values - both traditional and liberal. On the one hand, newcomers to Canada often expect their children to remain in the family home until they marry, said Marc Molgat, a sociology professor at the University of Ottawa. But on the other, he said, baby boomers often have a relationship with their adolescent and adult children that is more akin to friendship compared to past generations. Once young people have made it through secondary school in particular, there's a lot less control over what time you have to come in, who you're seeing," said Prof. Molgat, who has as studied the reasons why young adults are choosing not to leave the nest. "In many cases young people are able to bring back into the parental home a love or a partner.
"Young people have a lot more freedom to live out forms of autonomy within the family home than in the past." Some are so-called boomerang kids who leave to pursue a temporary job on a cruise ship, break into their chosen field by working contracts or travel the world for long periods, while others just never fly the coop. Twenty years ago, just shy of a third of young adults between 20 and 29 lived with their parents. In 2006, 43.5% of the 4 million Canadians in that age bracket did, up from 41,1% in 2001. The trend held true for those in their early 20s as much as for those pushing 30. The census found that a full 60.3% of 20- to 24-year-olds resided at home in 2006, compared to just 49.3% a decade earlier. Meanwhile 26% of adults between the ages of 26 and 29 lived with their parents up from 15.6% two decades ago. Darlene Wang, a 31-year-old Toronto investment advisor and entrepreneur, said both family values and a hard-nosed business sense have kept her living in her parents home all these years. "I'm Chinese and it's really cultural for us to stay at home until we are ready to be married and then we literally leave our family's home to go to our new home," said Ms. Wang who is engaged to be married in 2008.
She has put her earnings from her successful career in finance toward the purchase of several income properties, her own business ventures and investments. Paying rent to someone else made a whole lot less sense to Ms. Wang than collecting it herself. "A long time ago I decided I was never going to pay rent," she said. "So until I could afford to live on my own, I had to interest in paying someone else's mortgages. So that led me to make the decision that I did not want to waste money on living expenses that were not directly related to my well-being." There have been trade-offs, of course. She's had the means to travel internationally quite frequently, but she had to invite her parents to the parties she threw until she has a place of her own to play hostess. Questions surrounding the phenomenon revolve around whether young adults today are truly benefitting or simply prolonging adolescence. Bigger homes in suburbia and affluence mitigate toward children staying at home. With little or no constraints from their parents, James Ct, a sociology professor at the University of Western Ontario said many kids have no incentive to go live in a ratty little apartment on their own if they would be missing out on the comforts of a large home loaded with amenities like pools, Jacuzzis, big screen TVs, and access to a car. Many have the basement to themselves - while a handful he's heard about even take over the master bedroom from their doting folks, Prof. Ct said.
Lower family income or a large number of siblings are factors that push young adults to move out sooner - either because their parents can't afford to support them anymore or because they are challenged to assert their individuality in a crowded house. Prof. Ct said living at home longer can somewhat delay the full maturation into adulthood. "I think people mature through experience and you're limiting your experience if you stay home," he said. "That's what maturity is about, it's about living life. If it's kind of on hold and you just repeat the same thing over and over again and you just go home to your parents place and never have responsibilities like paying rent and buying food, then you're not going to get that sort of experience to help you grow." Prof. Molgat said young adults living with their parents to freeload are "few and far between." "It doesn't mean that they don't have any obligations," he said. "Many people who live at home pay room and board. In many circumstances there are obligations linked to household chores... The other obligation is more of a moral obligation toward their parents to be doing something, and this comes back often... that young people say well it's expected of me the I'm either working or I'm studying and if I'm not doing either I'm looking for a job and if I'm not doing that then I shouldn't be staying at home." But he said there is a delay to full-fledged independence. "They're not independent, but they're autonomous, but they're dependent at the same time," he said. "They don't feel that they've obtained full adult status because they haven't made that final transition."
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