Clara H. Mulder
William A.V. Clark
Michael Wagner

http://www.demographic-research.org/volumes/vol7/17/

doi:10.4054/DemRes.2002.7.17

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Abstract
We investigate how leaving the parental home differs between three countries with different welfare-state and housing systems: the USA, the Netherlands and West Germany. Using longitudinal survey data, we examine the transitions of leaving home to live with and without a partner. We find that, much more than in the European countries, union formation has become separated from leaving home in the USA. We also find a different impact of level of education and employment status on leaving-home patterns in the European countries with their social-welfare state system than in the US system in which market forces prevail. The differences are not just related to welfare-state systems but also to the sizes of the countries and the geographical dispersion of jobs and educational opportunities.

Author's affiliation
Clara H. Mulder
University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
William A.V. Clark
University of California, Los Angeles, United States of America
Michael Wagner
University of Cologne, Germany

Keywords
Germany, household, leaving the parental home, Netherlands, union formation, USA

Word count (Main text)
7660

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	[17-22] Geographical distances between adult children and their parents in the Netherlands
	[17-20] Family migration and mobility sequences in the United States: Spatial mobility in the context of the life course
	[15-13] Population and housing: A two-sided relationship

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