You can’t go home again. Independent living in Uruguay in the context of delayed transitions to adulthood.

Abstract

This paper analyzes how the transition out of the parental home has changed in the last two and a half decades in Uruguay. Using National Household Surveys from 1981 to 2005, we show that although young people in Uruguay have postponed the formation of new households, considerable gaps still exist between individuals from different socio-economic backgrounds. The most educated have avoided further delays in their emancipation by adopting non-family living arrangements as an increasingly popular alternative. Women have experienced the most significant change, reflecting the movement towards more egalitarian relationships between genders. Although the greatest proportional decline of young people living independently has been experienced in a period of relatively favorable economic conditions, our findings suggest that for a large part of the population, the postponement of the formation of a new household is a coping mechanism rather than a choice.

Keywords

• youth
• transitions to adulthood
• home leaving
• Uruguay