Ethnic Differences in Leaving Home: The Neighbourhood Context in Finland

Katrin Schwanitz , University of Turku
Elina Kilpi-Jakonen, University of Turku
Aleksi Seger, University of Turku

This paper investigates the dynamics of leaving home for young adults from migrant families in Finland. We draw on register-based longitudinal data for the 1990 – 1995 birth cohorts (N= 358,734) to study three types of transitions out of the parental home: leaving home for independence; leaving home for cohabitation; leaving home for marriage. We will do so by applying a competing-risks approach. This is against the backdrop of (i) an increasing share of immigrants and their descendants among the population in Finland and (ii) a scant literature on ethnic differences in the timing and destinations of leaving home in Finland. Because we assume that young adults’ leaving home behaviour is embedded in the wider social context, we are particularly interested in the link between the neighbourhood environment (in terms of ethnic composition, availability of affordable housing, or unemployment rate, for example) and the timing and destinations of leaving the parental home. We will address two basic questions: What is the relationship between immigrant origin, neighbourhood environment, and the timing and pathways of leaving the parental home? Moreover: do young adults with an immigrant origin living in more majority-dense neighbourhoods resemble the majority more in terms of their leaving home behaviour than their peers living in more minority-dense neighbourhoods? The answers to these two questions make it possible to assess to what degree different ethnic groups in Finland achieve a major milestone in the transition to adulthood.

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 Presented in Session P3. Migration, Economics, Policies, History