The return of young adults to their parents’ home in normal times requires an adjustment between the new routines adopted by parents living alone (or with younger children) and the habits of previously independent children. While young people often resist coming back and initially view it as a failure, over time they tend to recognize some positive aspects. Coexistence can find a balance, though old tensions often resurface—especially as parents retain control over the house, schedules, and daily rhythms. During the first COVID-19 lockdown, many young people—both students and some workers—returned to their family homes. However, this time felt different, as most kept their usual residences and did not see the return as confinement or failure, unlike in normal circumstances. Still, some experienced the challenges of family life and, by the second lockdown in November 2020, chose to stay with friends or remain in their student housing. The health crisis is expected to lead to prolonged intergenerational living arrangements across many countries. Families will need to adopt new, more flexible living rules that support individual autonomy. Public policies must be implemented to protect young people’s life trajectories.
La vuelta a casa en tiempos de pandemia: nuevas formas de convivencia
Résumé
This publication focuses on France to show how many young people returned to their family homes at the start of the pandemic, and the impact this had on household dynamics. Based on a qualitative study, it describes the adjustments and negotiations that took place in this intergenerational process between parents and children.
Cette publication se penche sur le cas de la France pour montrer comment de nombreux jeunes sont retournés vivre chez leurs parents au début de la pandémie, et quels effets cela a pu avoir sur la vie familiale. À partir d’une étude qualitative, elle décrit les réajustements et les négociations qui ont émergé dans ce processus de recomposition intergénérationnelle entre parents et enfants.