Whose Nest? A Two-Generational View of Leaving Home during the 1980s

Abstract

This article compares the influence of the expectations of young adults and their parents on nest leaving in the 1980s. Using data from the [U.S.] High School and Beyond surveys we model the odds of leaving home to establish a new home either while still unmarried or in the context of marriage. Although parents and young adults each expected earlier residential independence than actually occurred both generations expectations strongly influenced later residential behavior with parental expectations having more impact than those of the young adults themselves. (EXCERPT)