Published at 8:00 am.
26 years
This is the average age of adults living with their parents in Europe (25 years for girls and 27 years for boys).
We often view this phenomenon negatively, as if it were abnormal. In my research, I recognize that people have complex lives. For example, many young working adults save money for a down payment on a home. However, not everyone has the means to do so.
Umay Kader, a doctoral student in sociology at the University of British Columbia, who studies adults aged 25 to 34 who live with their parents
On the rise in Canada
According to Statistics Canada, the number of young adults living with their parents has been increasing for several decades.
Getting older and older
American data also shows an increase in the number of young adults aged 25 to 34 living with their parents.
Financial contribution
The organization CPA Canada suggests that parents who have no financial need still require a financial contribution towards household costs from their adult child living at home. Then, when he leaves for his own accommodation, his parents could give him the accumulated amounts to help him with his new expenses.
Many young adults who live with their parents help with rent, groceries, medical bills, car insurance, etc. Some parents refuse this financial support and their child has to convince them to accept it! The presence of young adults is often a plus point for parents too. They help with doctor’s appointments, transportation, etc. Additionally, parents say they like having a younger person around because it allows them to learn and stay in touch with the younger generation’s interests.
Umay Kader, a doctoral student in sociology at the University of British Columbia, who studies adults aged 25 to 34 who live with their parents
Expulsion to Italy
Some cohabitations can lead to extreme situations: A 75-year-old Italian mother who sued her two sons, ages 40 and 42, to evict them from their home has just won her case. The woman, who lives in the northern city of Pavia, criticized her sons for not participating in tasks or making financial contributions even though both were working. At the end of October, a judge ruled in the mother’s favor and gave the two men until December 18 to leave the house. According to 2022 data, almost 70% of Italians aged 18 to 34 live with their parents. One study found that 36.5% of young adults living with their parents were students, 38.2% had a job, and 23.7% were looking for work.