Leaving Home Trends, Traditions and Emergent Adulthood In Dependence In Dependence Independence and autonomy are hallmark desires of adolescence Reflected in Mass Media In the past, living independently was a major transitional event for young adults, mostly following marriage Emerging adults are becoming more dependent on parents A Gradual Process Leaving home is a gradual process, not an event Semi-dependent living arrangements Living independently comes with responsibilities The Decision to Leave Home Reasons for living home have changed over the past 50 years Marriage was formerly the most common reason Marriage and cohabitation will remain common for Gen X What will the reasons be for Generation Me? Post-secondary education remains a common reason for leaving, and returning home after finishing school Exchange theory can be used as an analytical tool When Emerging Adults Leave Home Leaving home is an important step in the transition to adulthood Beliefs regarding when this step should occur are influenced by social, cultural and economic factors Cultural Conceptions of Adulthood Some societies encourage young adults to leave home in order to become independent, mature and self-reliant Some maintain long childhoods, to ensure a smooth transition into adulthood At home they can receive the support necessary to finish school, save money, or establish a career It is difficult to tease out religious from cultural conceptions Late Emergence In Canada, most people live independently between Todays emerging adults choose to leave home later than their parents Secondary analysis of Canadian census data shows that 59% of adults born left home by the age of 24 Late Emergence The probability of their baby- boomer parents leaving home by 25 was 81% In 2001, 60% of men and 73% of women aged 25 were no longer living with their parents, according to the population data from Statistics Canada Data suggests that individuals are more slowly moving into adulthood Conclusion Adulthood is a time of increased responsibility Various analytical tools can help us understand adulthood Emerging adulthood takes longer to emerge