Making the Move: Cultural and Parental Influences on Canadian Young Adults’ Homeleaving Decisions

Abstract

This study focuses on the role that parents and ethnic culture play in young adults’ homeleaving decisions among four ethnocultural groups in Canada - British, Chinese, Indian, and South European. Data were collected in a 1999-2000 survey of 1,907 young people (aged 19-35) residing in the Vancouver, British Columbia area. Several types of statistical analyses are conduced, including descriptive, cross-tabular and logistic regression, in addition to examination of verbatim data. Findings reveal considerable diversity in level of perceived parental input and this heterogeneity is related to a number of factors. These include family characteristics (i.e., family structure, relationship quality), ethnocultural environment (i.e., foreign-bom status of young adult, nonEnglish language use with peers) and sociodemographic factors (i.e., gender and age). Moreover, young adults typically perceive level of parental influence in relation to the pathway chosen out of the parental home. In particular, Indo young adults report the highest levels of parental support, and they commonly report that they leave home for some kind of arranged marriage. British and Chinese young adults, however, typically report lower levels of parental influence and they are more likely to leave for independence and schooling, respectively. Southern-European young adults also report relatively low levels of parental input, yet this group leaves home for a wide variety of reasons. Implications for a cross-cultural perspective on homeleaving in contemporary Canadian society, as well as for future research are also discussed.