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Leaving mum alone? The effect of parental divorce on childrenís leaving home decisions

Author

Listed:
  • Letizia Mencarini
  • Elena Meroni
  • Chiara Pronzato

Abstract

There is a growing literature considering the relationship between parental divorce and childrenís life-course patterns. However, there is no general consensus on whether parental separation accelerates or postpones childrenís transition to adulthood. The aim of this paper is to add to this literature by analyzing the effect of parental divorce on the timing of nest-leaving of young adults. After providing descriptive findings using the recent Gender and Generations Survey (GGS) for five European countries (France, Georgia, Hungary, Italy, Russia), we assess the extent to which the associations between divorce and nest-leaving timing is masked by different effects. First, do children of divorced parents develop different characteristics (e.g., human capital construction and socialization) which in turn make them leave the parental home at a different rate? Secondly, do children of divorced people leave the parental home at a different age because of the new family structure? Our findings show that children who experienced divorce leave home at a faster rate, but the last child in the household ñ who would leave the mother alone ñ delays his/her departure.

Suggested Citation

  • Letizia Mencarini & Elena Meroni & Chiara Pronzato, 2011. "Leaving mum alone? The effect of parental divorce on children√≠s leaving home decisions," Working Papers 045, "Carlo F. Dondena" Centre for Research on Social Dynamics (DONDENA), Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi.
    • Handle: RePEc:don:donwpa:045
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Ainhoa Aparicio-Fenoll & Veruska Oppedisano, 2016. "Should I stay or should I go? Sibling effects in household formation," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 14(4), pages 1007-1027, December.
    2. Marco Tosi, 2017. "Age norms, family relationships, and home leaving in Italy," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 36(9), pages 281-306.

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