Adult Children Living At Home: A Growing Trend
According to a recent study conducted by the Pew Research Center it’s likely that your children will live with you well into their 20s and 30s. NPR, safe for another financial year from Trump’s deep budget cuts, placed the results of these findings on their website. It was here that the team at Support Collectors, your choice of child support enforcement agency, learned that more young adults between the ages of 18 and 34 are choosing to live with their parents than any other living arrangement.
The reasons why Millennials are staying home may be more obscure than you think. The Great Recession has probable cause, as wage stagnation and the rates of inflation, involuntary part-time work, and underemployment have skyrocketed in its wake. In the face of poor or non-existent job opportunities, it would make sense that many young adults would find security in living at home with their parents.
While economic factors are certainly at play, Pew notes that they only explain the growing number of male children opting to stay at home. Young men have fewer opportunities than older generations had in finding jobs that can support them, as their wages have declined drastically since the golden age of male prosperity in the 1970s.
In comparison, women’s wages have increased over the same course of time, but that’s a simple feat when you take a look at the wages women earned in the 70s. Even now, the wage gap still exists with white women making 79 cents to every dollar a white man makes, while black women make 66 cents and Hispanic women make only 59 cents. They’re making more than ever before, yet young women are more likely to stay home today than they were in the past.
A far greater impact on this growing trend is the shift in marital status of those ages 18 to 34. Living separate from parents has always been tied with one’s relationship status, especially for young women and people of color. In the past, you were more likely to leave the family home if you moved in with your romantic partner. It was rare to live on your own without a significant other or roommate.
Let’s take a look at the breakdown of living arrangements of those aged 18 to 34 in 1960:
• 62% of this demographic lived with their significant other
• 20% lived with their parents
• 13% had other living arrangements, such as renting with roommates
• 5% lived alone or as single parents
Now let’s compare this to 2014 data on those ages 18 to 34:
• 31.6% of this demographic live with their significant other
• 32.1% live with their parents
• 22% have other living arrangements, such as renting with roommates
• 14% live alone or as single parents
As you can see, the portion of the population who lived on their own split in half, with the majority turning to the security of mom and dad’s house instead. According to census information dating back to 1880, it’s the first time in over 130 years that there are more young adults living with their parents than any other living arrangement.
As a single parent, even of grown children who have jobs, this emerging trend can place strain on your household. Though they may be employed, your child could be struggling with poor wages and student debt, and as a result may not be able to contribute to household expenses as much as you would like. Despite being in their 20s or 30s, they still rely on you as their primary supporter.
When money is tight, you’ll look for any possible way to help boost your income, and as you explore you options, we recommend you don’t discount what the team at Support Collectors can do for you. Your children may be grown and past the point of child support, but we can help you collect back payments that your former partner failed to make when your child was younger.
Collecting child support for a child who is over 18 is one of our FAQs, and one that we’re happy to answer positively. It’s just one of the many positives aspects of enlisting our help as you learn about child support collection. Regardless of the child’s age now, you’re legally due those unpaid payments the non-custodial parent failed to make when they were under 18. While roughly half of state child support agencies won’t open a case for you in this scenario, we aren’t bound by the same restrictions. In many cases, this scenario is our most successful, as recovery of these back payments can work in your favor now that the NCP has had time to increase earnings, assets, and investments.
If your adult child still lives at home and you’ve gone without child support for years, contact us. One of our specialists will take the time to get to know you and your situation better before we open a file. Then we’ll track down the money you’re owed, so your role as primary supporter of your adult child isn’t such a challenge.