For decades, German families have been known to stick together under the same roof, often including three or four generations, so it wasn’t a huge surprise when the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reported last week that 62 percent of youth aged 18 to 24 were living with their parents. In 2005 that percentage was a slightly higher 64 percent. Before you think everything is status quo though, the makeup of that number shows the real culprits of the empty nester blockers: men!
Not only are the younger generational stay-at-homers staying with their parents for a longer period of time before finally moving out, but a large chunk of them happen to be men. 68 percent of young men were reportedly living with their parents last year versus 56 percent of young women.
In an interview with Spiegel, child and youth psychologist Michael Thiel told the publication that younger women “often have fewer freedoms, which can increase their motivation to take to their heels,” and that for those who don’t feel the push to leave mom and dad, the parents should take the blame for “not raising their child to be able to manage without them.”
It is hard to say that all of the blame lies with the parents, though surely there are plenty of instances where that could be the case, but various economic factors surely come into play. Germany has always been a country where families stick together… it is part of the culture.
