Why 20-Somethings are Moving Back Home

After they walk across the stage to accept their diplomas, many of this spring’s college graduates are going to be heading home to live with their parents.

Please join the New America Foundation for a discussion of Katherine Newman’s new book, The Accordion Family, which looks at the growing phenomenon — in both America and other developed countries — of adults in their twenties and thirties living with their parents.

Newman argues global economic conditions have altered the road to adulthood and redefined family life, noting how global competition has led to a restructuring of the labor market. She draws on over 300 interviews with parents and adult children in six countries to examine how family life is being shaped by the new global economic landscape. Newman delves into the wide ranging cultural implications of young adults living at home, from how plummeting fertility rates affect social policy to the often complex attitudes towards immigrants, whose higher birth rates are fueling economies and altering national demographics. 

With noted demographer Phil Longman responding, it is sure to be a fascinating discussion.

Participants

Featured Speaker
Katherine S. Newman
Professor of Sociology and James Knapp Dean
Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Johns Hopkins University

Respondent
Phil Longman
Senior Research Fellow
New America Foundation

Moderator
David Gray
Director, Workforce and Family Program
New America Foundation