Gender aspects of the patterns of leaving home in post-war Sweden

Maria A. Stanfors, Lund University

Leaving home is an important aspect of the transition to adulthood and independence. The timing of leaving home as well as the routes out of the parental home are likely to differ between women and men. This paper analyzes gendered aspects of leaving home and whether they are determined by individual, family-related or structural factors. The dataset is derived from the Swedish Family Survey. A sample of 3 582 males and females in three birth cohorts are analyzed, using survival analysis. We find that the first departure from home differ between males and females and respond to place of origin and family context. Within family context, social as well as economic factors are important and have gender-specific effects. We also find cohort differences that highlight the importance of gender and socioeconomic change and the different opportunities that different cohorts of young men and women have faced in post-war Sweden.