Volume 20 - Article 30 | Pages 731-816

Leaving the parental home in post-war Japan: Demographic changes, stem-family norms and the transition to adulthood


Date received:	15 Oct 2007
Date published:	19 Jun 2009
Word count:	5260
Keywords:	event history analysis, Japan, leaving home, life course, living arrangements, nest-leaving, stem-family system, transition to adulthood, young adults
DOI:	10.4054/DemRes.2009.20.30
Updated Items:	On February 8, 2010 three typing mistakes were corrected on pages 752/54, page 777, and on page 816.

Abstract

Leaving home is a key life event in the transition to adulthood, but it has been relatively less explored in demographic studies of contemporary Japan. This paper examines the relationship between home-leaving intensities of young adults and the rapid social, economic, and demographic changes that took place in post-World War II Japan. By using event-history analysis, the study focuses on 1) family and socio-demographic characteristics, 2) stem-family norms, and 3) proximities of life events and leaving home as the main factors affecting the chances of leaving home. This study aims to explain cohort trends and sex differentials in home-leaving behaviors among young adults in post-war Japan.