The decline of marriage rate may not be a confounder. Young people live with their parents because of the lack of financial stability and they are not good marriage prospects because of the lack of financial stability.
Going away to college is a halfway point. There is a whole infrastructure to help you with the transition.
Moving out entirely on your own is a big step. You learn to take care of yourself and at least for me, there was a lot of pride in being able to say “This is my own life and I can take care of myself”.
Multi-generation housing has been the default throughout most of history, and is still common in many parts of the world. Being an adult and taking on extra responsibilities is orthogonal to whether or not you live in a multi-generational household.
And yes, multi-generational living was very common in the past, but so was having 5+ children. That doesn’t necessarily make it a better choice.
>that doesn’t mean there isn’t a big difference between living on your own or living in your mom’s basement.
Where you live really says nothing about your level of responsibility or self-reliance. I know people who moved out when they were 18, but still depend on their parents for financial support, and I know people living at home who's parents depend on them for financial support.
I know people who live with their families who can grow a significant portion of their own food, and people who live alone who would starve if DoorDash shut down.
And I know people who live with their parents who have children of their own to care for, and people who live alone who have carefully orchestrated their lives to avoid any kind of responsibility to other people.
>And yes, multi-generational living was very common in the past, but so was having 5+ children. That doesn’t necessarily make it a better choice.
Not necessarily, but the converse is also true.
You move out because you desire freedom. You wanted something, so you bought it. Don't frame it as something noble, or inherently superior.
I live away from my parents, but that was a choice of practicality - the amount of money I make by doing so vastly outstrips the amount I would save by living at home.
But I also know a few folks who live at home because it’s just easier. No pesky mortgage to deal with, clothes always get washed, meals cooked, etc.
Of course you can reject the idea, but you'll find that you'll also be rejected more often by potential romantic partners.
It doubles the probability of one person losing his job, but it halves the consequences of it.
It makes the probability of losing all income a lot lower.