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Generation Stuck at Home: The experiences and perceptions of young adults living with their parents in Ireland

Dunlop, Eilidh LU (2024) WPMM42 20241
Department of Sociology
School of Social Work
Sociology
Abstract
Over the last few years, there has been a significant increase in the numbers of young adults living with their parents in Ireland, particularly within the 25-29 age bracket. From the life-course perspective, leaving home is considered an important marker in the transition to adulthood. However, like other milestones such as marriage and parenthood, leaving home is increasingly being delayed, especially in the Irish context. While there are many accounts of this delay in relation to increasing economic uncertainty, job insecurity, welfare state retrenchment, as well as the housing crisis in the Irish context, there is less attention paid to the day-to-day lives of the young adults experiencing the delay. Using theories of the life-course,... (More)
Over the last few years, there has been a significant increase in the numbers of young adults living with their parents in Ireland, particularly within the 25-29 age bracket. From the life-course perspective, leaving home is considered an important marker in the transition to adulthood. However, like other milestones such as marriage and parenthood, leaving home is increasingly being delayed, especially in the Irish context. While there are many accounts of this delay in relation to increasing economic uncertainty, job insecurity, welfare state retrenchment, as well as the housing crisis in the Irish context, there is less attention paid to the day-to-day lives of the young adults experiencing the delay. Using theories of the life-course, individualisation, and risk society, this thesis examines the experiences and perceptions of young adults who continue to live with their parents through qualitative semi-structured interviews. The findings suggest that young adults are grateful to be able to remain in the parental home, and that there are many advantages, particularly in the context of the Irish housing market. However, there are also several constraints, and the young adults’ experiences show that living at home can impact their independence, their relationships with parents, as well as the negotiation of adult status. The young adults also experienced a sense of pessimism in relation to their future housing trajectories, and a discrepancy between their housing expectations and the reality of the current housing market. (Less)
Popular Abstract
In recent years, there has been a large increase in the number of young adults living with their parents in Ireland, especially those aged 25-29. Leaving the family home is traditionally seen as a key step towards adulthood, similar to the milestones of marriage and parenthood. However these milestones are now more delayed. Economic uncertainty, job insecurity and reduced welfare support are amongst reasons for this delay. Despite these factors being well-documented, less is known about the lives of young adults who live with their parents. This study explores the experiences and perceptions of young adults who continue to live with their parents through theories of the life-course, individualisation, and risk society. Using qualitative... (More)
In recent years, there has been a large increase in the number of young adults living with their parents in Ireland, especially those aged 25-29. Leaving the family home is traditionally seen as a key step towards adulthood, similar to the milestones of marriage and parenthood. However these milestones are now more delayed. Economic uncertainty, job insecurity and reduced welfare support are amongst reasons for this delay. Despite these factors being well-documented, less is known about the lives of young adults who live with their parents. This study explores the experiences and perceptions of young adults who continue to live with their parents through theories of the life-course, individualisation, and risk society. Using qualitative semi-structured interviews, the research reveals that many young adults appreciate the ability to live at home, particularly due to the housing crisis in Ireland, and that there are several benefits. These include financial benefits, the comfort and care provided at home, and the emotional and social support from parents, However, living with parents also presents challenges. It can affect the independence of young adults, their relationship with their parents, and whether they feel like adults or not. Many young adults feel pessimistic about their future housing prospects. There is also a large difference between their expectations and desire to leave home and the reality of the housing market. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Dunlop, Eilidh LU
supervisor
organization
course
WPMM42 20241
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Home leaving, adulthood, precarity, co-residence, life-course
language
English
id
9157075
date added to LUP
2024-11-07 08:15:57
date last changed
2024-11-07 08:15:57
@misc{9157075,
  abstract     = {{Over the last few years, there has been a significant increase in the numbers of young adults living with their parents in Ireland, particularly within the 25-29 age bracket. From the life-course perspective, leaving home is considered an important marker in the transition to adulthood. However, like other milestones such as marriage and parenthood, leaving home is increasingly being delayed, especially in the Irish context. While there are many accounts of this delay in relation to increasing economic uncertainty, job insecurity, welfare state retrenchment, as well as the housing crisis in the Irish context, there is less attention paid to the day-to-day lives of the young adults experiencing the delay. Using theories of the life-course, individualisation, and risk society, this thesis examines the experiences and perceptions of young adults who continue to live with their parents through qualitative semi-structured interviews. The findings suggest that young adults are grateful to be able to remain in the parental home, and that there are many advantages, particularly in the context of the Irish housing market. However, there are also several constraints, and the young adults’ experiences show that living at home can impact their independence, their relationships with parents, as well as the negotiation of adult status. The young adults also experienced a sense of pessimism in relation to their future housing trajectories, and a discrepancy between their housing expectations and the reality of the current housing market.}},
  author       = {{Dunlop, Eilidh}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Generation Stuck at Home: The experiences and perceptions of young adults living with their parents in Ireland}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}