Parents who live in single-detached homes in Canada's largest cities are among the most likely to have adult children living at home with them, suggests a Statistics Canada study.

The data suggest that nearly 60 per cent of Canadians aged 20 to 24 live with their parents, compared with just 41 per cent two decades earlier.

In an age of early teenage independence and easy mobility, one would assume a reversed trend would prevail, that young adults would be eager to define their identity and move out as soon as they could to find their own place.

So why is Hotel Mama so convenient and addictive? Several phenomena have altered past trends. Some have to do with emerging socio-economic reasons, while others are rooted in new cultural attitudes.

The cost of housing has risen sharply in the past two decades. Young people often have to put their plans to rent an apartment on hold, as a single salary might no longer be sufficient to cover the cost in most of Canada's large urban centres, and still leave money for much else.

The average age of marriage has also risen, now approaching 26 years for men and women. Newlyweds who are not supported by their parents often need to buy an affordable home far from downtown and then weave long commutes into their daily routine.

Alternatively, they might rent in town or continue to live with their parents until they have saved enough for a down payment on a home closer to their jobs.

A phenomenon once common in Canada, and still widespread in European households, sees married children living at home until they have saved enough to move out and buy.

A reverse practice is taking place in Japan, where parents help their child buy a home. In return, the married son shares his house with them, something the bride accepts as part of the marriage package.

The declining birth rate of Canadians is another reason behind the comfort of staying with mom and pop. Boomers have fewer kids than their parents had.

With 2.7 people per household, there is no pressure to move out of a house with more than enough bedrooms for all. There is, after all, no morning rush-hour line in front of the bathroom.

The average size of the Canadian home has also grown. A typical 1950s house, which measured 800 square feet, bears no resemblance to homes in 2007 where there are multiple bathrooms, bedrooms, and larger kitchens in 2,500-square-foot residences. There is enough space in new homes to pack in three dwellings from a century ago and still have fewer people living under one roof.

Economic changes have also affected how long offspring stay at their parents' homes.

A first university degree is no longer sufficient to find a well-paying job, whereas 50 years ago, a high school diploma was a ticket to stable employment.

Competition has also upset the job market with a lack of security, and the reality of having to repay student loans means adult children do not have much financial room to leave home and buy early. Some students, paradoxically, elect to stay in university longer, obtaining additional degrees to improve their chance of getting a well-paying job.

Staying at home, where meals and laundry are taken care of, also makes economic sense.

Transformation of cultural norms has also contributed to the convenience of staying at home. In his best-selling book The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell describes how adolescent society has evolved in recent years to increase the potential for isolation. He suggests that parents are giving their children more money to construct their own social and material worlds. They have in-room TV, Internet, e-mail, beepers and cellular phones.

Young adults have created an independent physical and digital existence within their parents' place. But with separate operating schedules and cultural interests, the time adult children and parents spend together is shrinking substantially.

Such phenomena might change the way housing will be designed and marketed in the future. Today's large homes offer the opportunity to design an independent suite with a separate entrance, a bathroom and kitchen.

Space in the home has more territorial connotations as the young guard their domain. The child's room, at times, can resemble an independent dwelling with entertainment devices and even appliances, like a small fridge.

As the boomers fast approach their retirement age, dreams of claiming the entire family nest all to themselves will have to be postponed, at least for a while.

Source Ottawa Citizen