Conceptualising the Contemporary Role of Housing in the Transition to Adult Life in England

Abstract

This paper uses both survey and qualitative panel data collected from ve different case-study areas in England in order to offer a conceptualisation of the contemporary role that housing is playing in the transition to adult life. The data suggest that the types of housing pathway that young people follow are a function of differences in the combination and intensity of three main factors: the ability of young people to plan for and control their entry to independent living; the extent and form of constraints that characterise their access to housing; and the degree of family support available to them. Based around these three dimensions (each of which is a continuum), the following ideal typical pathways can be identi ed: a chaotic pathway, an unplanned pathway, a constrained pathway, a planned (non-student) pathway and a student pathway.

The changing determinants of UK young adults' living arrangements

“…This is consistent with the suggestion that leaving home at a young age for higher education promotes a cultural expectation of experiencing a period of non-family living in young adulthood (Ford, Rugg, and Burrows 2002). For these young people an extended transition to adulthood might be seen as reflecting an opportunity for exploration.…”

“…The longer young adults remain in education, the longer they are likely to delay family formation (Kneale and Joshi 2008). At the same time enrolment in higher education promotes early home leaving (Ford, Rugg, and Burrows 2002). In the UK around 80% of students live away from their parents in the first year of study (Higher Education Funding Council for England 2009).…”

“…Most commentators agree that higher education promotes exploration and a reconsideration of world views, including a "cultural expectation" of communal living (Ford, Rugg, and Burrows 2002). We wish to examine whether experience of higher education is not only associated with shared living among students, but whether it persists after leaving higher education in the absence of a new family.…”

“…On the one hand, economic disadvantage could lead a proportion of young adults to leave the parental home via a "chaotic" pathway in search of employment (Ford, Rugg, and Burrows 2002). Conversely, economic disadvantage can represent a barrier to residential independence and family formation, manifested as a delay in leaving and/or increased returns to the parental home.…”

The changing living arrangements of young adults in the UK

“…Other young adults may make planned departures, for example to take up employment or to live with a partner, while for other (often most disadvantaged) young adults, their pathways out of the parental home may be unplanned and more chaotic. 10 In this article, we focus on the changing living arrangements of young adults over the past 20 years. During this period we have seen changes in the opportunities and constraints faced by young people in their transition to independent living.…”