MULTIGENERATIONAL HOUSEHOLDS IN ITALY. WHEN ADULT CHILDREN RETURN TO PARENTAL HOME, DETERMINANTS AND IMPLICATIONS

Abstract

The general aim of this thesis is to establish a foundational understanding of the phenomenon of young people returning to the parental home (boomerangers) in Italy, unfolding its main determinants and understanding whether and to what extent it was affected by the economic crises of 2008. Using nine waves (from 2006 to 2014) of the Eurostat Longitudinal Survey on Income and Living Conditions was possible to compare the period of the crisis (2008-2012) with the one before (2006-2007) and the one after (2013-2014). The longitudinal design of the survey allowed to situate returning home phenomenon in the framework of life-course transitions, inquiring how it is related to other individual’s life course turning points. Furthermore, the panel-data structure of the dataset made possible the use of longitudinal models. The empirical analysis is mainly oriented to define the effect of economic uncertainty on the residential careers of individuals in the 18-34 age group, specifically on their return to the parental home. Since residential careers are embedded in social and cultural contexts which reproduce specific mechanisms of social inequalities, the analysis is also oriented to understand the role that individual characteristics (mainly educational level, gender, and age), social class and familiar resources (household disposable income and tenure status) have on mediating the returning home phenomena. The main findings suggest that, in Italy, the quota of young people boomeranging into the parental home is relevant (especially for those in their 20s). The analysis highlights a significant rising trend during the period of economic crises, especially in the second more severe phase (from the half of 2010 to 2012), emphasizing the determinant effect of economic hardships (condition of unemployment and inactivity) and marital instability. Regarding the economic transition markers, it appears that is not so much the type of shift in the employment status (like getting unemployed), but the change in employment status itself, to be a good predictor of home returning. The most relevant findings, however, are about the interaction between social class and economic status. What primarily emerges, is that, in a period of economic uncertainty and hardship, family serves as a form of protection mainly for young people of the high class (in a status of unemployment/inactivity), who get residential support until the achievement of a high-level and stable job which can fulfill their expectations.