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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Comment
Jason Okundaye

Living with my mum has been a blessing – but young adults should not be forced back into the family home

An adult man on a sofa with his dad looking at him
‘The feasibility of staying home often relies on how well you’re able to get along with your parents.’ Photograph: SDI Productions/Getty Images

The 2021 census already confirmed it: more adult children than ever are still living with their parents. But the Financial Times has recently revealed just how drastically the scales have tipped: about 40% of 18- to 34-year-olds now live with their parents, making it the most common domestic arrangement for this age group. Previously, it was living as a couple with children.

It’s not just an epidemic of Young, Dumb and Living Off Mum – I’ve moved back home twice since graduating in 2018, and I know plenty of young well-to-do professionals who have felt obliged to do the same, or not moved out at all. There are also plenty of people who are unable to live in their family home due to distance and perhaps wish they could.

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