ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on contemporary patterns in home leaving as a major family-related transition to adulthood in modern societies. Similar to the measurement of home leaving spells, home returning as a “boomerang kid” is measured as a return that consists of a stay of at least four months, after duration away for at least four months. The median age at leaving home is lowest in Northern Europe, similar to the US In Southern Europe, leaving home occurs later than in Northern and Western Europe. Parental socio-economic status, number of siblings and parental financial support are additional family background factors found to affect the timing and pathways of home leaving. The regional pattern of leaving home for employment reasons resembles that of leaving home for independence, although the patterns are less strong. While research documents the effect of home leaving on parent-child relations, there is a growing body of literature that highlights the effects of staying home on the parent-child dyad.
