Young adults and household formation in the 1990s

This paper provides an overview of recent research and theorising relating to contemporary patterns of household formation amongst British youth. The first part provides a necessarily brief summary of current trends, focusing on both the initial process of leaving home and on the different outcomes of that process. The second part considers the theoretical models which und erpin research on household formation, highlighting first the defining char acteristics of dominant models of constraint, before moving on to examine t he potential relevance of recent sociological theorising on the changing na ture of social relationships in the context of late modernity. The paper co ncludes that whilst economic factors have undoubtedly acted as powerful cat alysts for recent demographic trends, serious consideration should also be given to the importance of changing attitudes towards traditional forms of household and family living prevalent amongst contemporary youth.