ABSTRACT
Across much of Northern Europe, young adults are remaining dependent on their parents for longer periods of time and are experiencing later partnership formation than twenty years ago. This chapter draws on data from a two year study, the “Young Adults and Shared Household Living” project, in order to explore whether shared living might be considered a route to empowerment for young adults in contemporary Britain. It focuses on the role of shared households in providing a forum in which young adults can explore new ways of relating to each other as friends and partners, and on the redefinition of independence which goes hand in hand with those explorations. In particular, shared household living allows them the space to develop close friendships with a broad range of people and the space to be involved in intimate sexual relationships without losing a sense of independence or compromising their desire for personal space which is a step removed from their partner.
