Different Pathways out of the Parental Home: A Comparison of West Germany and Italy.

This paper examines the departure from parental home in two European countries: Italy and West Germany. A common trend toward longer education and marriage delay has had, in the two societies, different residential outcomes. Cohort comparisons indicate that two different pathways out of the parental home emerged: Italians wait for marriage, while Germans increasingly depart for premarital independence. In this paper, the author argues that the timing of and the reasons for leaving home differ according to the resources available, but relate also to the existing cultural values and institutional contexts. Moreover, this paper also points out some important within-country differences, above all gender and regional variation.