Minds on.

Leaving Home

During the transition to adulthood there are many changes that take place. Leaving home for the first time is often a turning point or rite of passage for many young adults in Canada to signify that their role from dependent child to independent adult has occurred. However, the process of leaving home and the reasons for leaving are different for many individuals.

movement from one role or status to the next one.

any important act or event that serves to mark a passage from one stage of life to another.

Costs and Benefits of Leaving Home

In Canada, at 16 years of age an individual can legally leave home without the permission of a parent or guardian. As you have discussed, individuals have different reasons for leaving home. When someone leaves their family home for the first time, there are many considerations that must be made. Individuals must be prepared to face a number of adjustments when leaving home.

This is the discussion icon. The Impact of Leaving Home

Brainstorm the advantages and disadvantages of leaving the family home. You may wish to create and complete a chart like below with the ideas that are shared.

Advantages Disadvantages
Ex., - more independence Ex., -more household chores
   
   
   
Action.
This is an image of a demographic word collage.

Demographic Data on Leaving Home

We can learn a lot about who we are as a population in Canadian society by looking at demographic information. Demographic information tells us about the social statistics of groups of people, such as age, ethnicity, population growth, and other vital statistics, all of which inform us about the nature of human behaviour in society. Often statistics examine particular cohorts when studying groups of people over time.

In this next section of the activity, you will determine the norms that may influence the behaviour of Canadians leaving home by examining various patterns and trends. For example, you might examine how leaving home has changed over time and how that differs by gender, ethnicity or educational attainment.

a group of people born around the same time who experience similar historic, social and cultural events.

This is the dropbox icon. Demographics: Leaving Home and Living with Parents

Examine the following articles. Look for patterns in leaving the parental home as well as the diversity in young adults living with their parents. Answer the questions that follow each article.

Publication 1: “When is junior moving out? Transitions from the parental home to independence”

  1. What is the year and survey name for which the data was gathered?
  2. What five cohorts were examined?
  3. What is the overall trend in adults leaving home compared with the past?
  4. Provide two statistics and explain the significance of data. Speculate what the statistic might reveal about Canadian norms, values or roles. For example, “Men who have at least some postsecondary education had a 12% higher chance of leaving the parental home than young men who were the same age but had only high school graduation.” This statistic is important because it shows men might place the value of education as greater than their familial relationships, or they might place a high value on education as important for obtaining a career.

Publication 2: “Diversity of Young Adults Living with Their Parents”

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  1. What was the age range of Canadians that were studied in this article?
  2. Identify three Canadian trends that influence the living arrangements of young adults. Use statistics to discuss what these trends might reveal about Canadian norms, values or roles.
Consolidation

The Transition to Adulthood: New Challenges

Factors influencing the decision to leave home have changed over time. Some social scientists argue that Canadian adolescents are facing more challenges today, as there are many issues that did not exist in the past.

The following video clip will explain how four revolutions (technological, sexual, women’s movement and youth movement) have impacted the transition to adulthood today. Watch the following clip. Consider the title: why does it take longer to grow up today?

According to the video, four revolutions in society impacted the transition to adulthood: the Technology Revolution, the Sexual Revolution, the Women’s Movement, and the Youth Movement. Adolescents are not only impacted by events in society, they are also impacted by various social institutions, such as family, media, education, religion, economy and political systems. Each of these social institutions will influence an individual’s thoughts and behaviours. They shape the values one has and the roles one plays in society.

For example, an individual might have a family that values education and therefore he/she spends all day in school and several hours after school studying.

This is an image of a single male teen in a hallway, staring at his computer.

This leaves no room for a part-time job or social activities with friends. This behaviour will shape the person’s transition to adulthood. This person might spend longer in school in the role of a student, delaying potential marriage and parenting roles. The person could also stay at home longer, thus prolonging their transition to the roles associated with independent living.

This is the ePortfolio icon. Adolescents and Social Institutions

Consider all of the social institutions involved in an adolescent’s life. What are some roles that adolescents may have related to each social institution?

  • Family: ex., role of caregiver, daughter, son
  • Media
  • Education
  • Religion
  • Economy
  • Political System

Roles in the Transition to Adulthood

Performing various roles might create conflict for adolescents as they are transitioning to adulthood. Individuals often have many pressures and roles to play. These differing roles contribute to the responsibilities and duties one has in daily life. For example, an adolescent may have many roles: employee for part-time job, caregiver for elderly parent and a student in high school. These can create conflicts in relationships and stress in one’s personal life. The adolescent may feel guilty for leaving the elderly parent to go off to a party, or may resent the elderly parent if they have to miss social events. The adolescent may also feel stress and pressures to manage school work and dating with the time it takes to care for the elderly parent.

This is the discussion icon. Impacts on the Transition to Adulthood

Brainstorm the multiple roles that adolescents have as they transition to adulthood. How can these roles create stress and strain in one’s personal life and relationships?

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