An investigation held by the Pew Research Center suggests that in the past fifty years, living with parents has become more common that living with a spouse or a partner. According to study authors many aspects such as economy and professional goals affect this decision.
Persons between the ages of 18 to 35 years old are more likely to live in their parents home than with a romantic partner or a roommate, assures the study held by Richard Fry.
The analysis was made from data collected from census highlights since the 1880’s, different characteristics such as marital status, educational attainment and employment affect the living situation.
Lead author Frey justifies this living situation among younger adults to the decision of not ‘settling down’ before being 35 years old, when comparing data from the 1880’s to current days dating and living arrangements were significantly different.
In the 1960’s around 62 percent of the United State’s younger population was living with a partner or a spouse in a personal household. While five percent was living with their parents but in the year 2014, thirty two percent of the nation’s younger adults was living with their parents. All the while, thirty one percent lived with their partner.
In 2014 only 14 percent of the nation’s population was living alone in their own household. And twenty two percent had different living arrangement such as roommates, college dorms or another family member.
It is more common to live with parents than with partners
According to the investigation held by Richard Fry an expert in the economy, labor and marriage market, this living situations are related to the trend of singleness and finding more comfortable solutions to live while studying or developing a career.
“ For earlier generations of young Americans, one of the major activities that they were focused on was partnering, forming a new family with children. Now days, they spend more time tending to studies and work, hoping to save enough money to move out on their own,” said Frey in a press release
Men were found to be more common to live with their parents than their counterparts, in fact men between the ages of 18 and 34 years old was more likely to be found at a parents house than the 28 percent of those living with a partner.
Women are more likely to be living with a romantic partner in a 35 percent than to living with their parents in a 29 percent possibilities.
Economic factors have also affected this living situations as well as unemployment rates and wages, especially in younger men who have faced inflation and different unemployment numbers in the past decades.
The great recession has also been attributed to the living situation investigated by author Frey, thanks to college enrollments it is more common to see younger adults living with their parents.
Costs of living, economic opportunities, student debt and rising home prices are also primary roles in the decision on living with parents rather that with romantic partners.
Lower educated persons are more likely to be living with their parents than their counterparts as well as african american persons are more common to be living in their house than with a romantic partner.
This study is a part of different investigations that has discussed the fact that marriage is no longer a priority among younger adults, nor is it having a relationship that requires living together. Currently younger adults are more focused on career and life savings, rather than in romantic living situations.
Source: Pew Social Trends