As more young Americans move back into their parents' homes, pushed by high prices and soaring housing costs, a sentiment is spreading that views cohabitation not as a failure but as a rational choice.
Half of US Young Adults Return to Parents' Homes
According to The Wall Street Journal on Friday, the U.S. Federal Reserve's latest Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking found that 49% of adults under 30 said they lived with their parents last year. That figure is up 12 percentage points from 2019, and about a third of them were found to be 25 or older. Analysts say soaring home prices, rents, and student loan burdens are delaying the age of independence for young people, changing the very culture of adulthood.
The WSJ noted that "living in a parent's home in one's 20s was once seen as a sign of failing to become independent and something shameful, but that is no longer the case." A survey conducted this spring by financial services firm Thrivent also found that about 55% of young people who returned to their parents' homes cited economic reasons. Some do not hide it, introducing themselves as a "stay-at-home daughter" or "stay-at-home son" and sharing their daily lives on social media.
Samantha Stobo, 33, who lived alone in New York before moving into her mother's home following a breakup, went public with her life at home on social media, saying "no one judges me." Casey Wright, 28, who returned to her parents' home after two bouts of unemployment, said, "I would move out tomorrow if I could," but admitted that "high housing costs are the obstacle." Temple University professor Laurence Steinberg told the WSJ that "living with parents has become the most common living arrangement for Americans in this age group."
Korea Also Sees Rise in 'Full-Time Children'
In Korea as well, the trend of young people choosing to live with their parents rather than move out is becoming increasingly pronounced.
According to the "2024 Survey on the Lives of Young People" released by the Office for Government Policy Coordination on Nov. 16, 54.4% of young people aged 19 to 34 were living with their parents. By age group, those aged 19 to 24 were the highest at 78.1%, followed by 56.0% for those aged 25 to 29, and 29.9% for those aged 30 to 34. Only 45.6% of young people lived independently.
As sluggish youth employment overlapped with soaring housing and living costs, more young people returned to their family homes, and a significant number of them are settling into the role of "full-time children" who take on household chores.
"Full-time child" is a newly coined term applying the concept of a full-time homemaker to children. It refers to an arrangement in which an economically inactive adult child takes on household tasks such as cooking, laundry, and cleaning in exchange for support with housing and food expenses. Unlike the "kangaroo tribe" or NEETs who depend on their parents only economically, they are distinguished by performing the role of household labor. In fact, seven out of 10 young people living with their parents are confirmed to share household chores such as cooking and cleaning.
Views on the phenomenon are divided. While some offer a positive interpretation that the family unit's caregiving function is being revived, sociologists point out that because the arrangement can only work when parents have the financial means to support it, it reflects class disparities. There are also concerns that if parents retire or lose their income, children could fall into an economic blind spot alongside them, and that a prolonged delay in youth independence could even shake the retirement security of the parents' generation.
