Comment: How parents鈥� resources shape attitudes to the future Published on: 1 November 2018 Writing for The Conversation, Dr Emily Rainsford discusses how a young person's family background can affect their economic self-sufficiency. Thanks Dad. Everyone鈥檚 family background has affected them, for better or worse. In the UK today, it is difficult for young people to get a good job, and this means that families are having to provide more support for young people. In of 3,000 18- to 35-year-olds in the UK, my colleagues and I found that 38% of these young people still live with their parents, and 47% had 鈥渂oomeranged鈥� back into the family home after living independently. While much research that family matters for the progression and success of younger generations, it鈥檚 less clear how it matters for their employment pathways and attitudes towards their future. This is a question our is addressing, through a series of interviews with three generations of people across ten families in the northeast of England. Our analysis is showing that there is both a difference between young people鈥檚 achievement of economic self-sufficiency, and their ambition to become self-sufficient 鈥� and that this depends on their family background and the behaviour of their parents. Based on these findings, we鈥檝e divided the young people from our ten families into four different groups. The first group are the 鈥渆ntrepreneurs鈥� 鈥� 28-year-old Chris (all names have been changed to protect the anonymity of those interviewed) and 24-year-old Victoria, are the most economically independent from their parents. Both are self-employed, have moved out of the family home and started their own families. One is married, the other has a young daughter. They have both relied very little on their family to support them, primarily because there wasn鈥檛 much support available. In contrast to the entrepreneurs are the 鈥渧oluntary dependents鈥�, Rosa and Philip, aged 20, and Andrew, aged 28. This group relies a lot on their parents, who with their middle-class background are able to support their children financially. They are primarily still in education and although career choice is an important issue in their lives, they focus more on creative working or avoiding boredom in their job, rather than a high salary. The 鈥済radual progressors鈥� have achieved some economic independence from their parents. Two of them, John, 20, and Helen, 22, are employed, while Peter and Lucie, aged 20 and 26 respectively, work for their family鈥檚 business. However, they still rely on their parents for support. Whether that鈥檚 moving back into the family home, or help setting up a family business, the parents are willing and able to economically support their children. The last group, the 鈥渁mbitious鈥�, are the opposite. Jack, aged 28, is unemployed, while Nick, aged 22, is at university. Neither of them have become economically independent of their parents, but they are the most ambitious to become so. While their families are also middle-class and able to support their children, young people such as Jack and Nick may accept some help but are determined to pay their parents back. They are very driven and strategic in their education and employment choices. The value of education All of the families we鈥檙e following value education, but for different reasons. In the 鈥渧oluntary dependant鈥� families, education has a value in and of itself. It鈥檚 the experience of going to university and learning new things that both the parents and children see as an asset to their character which enables a fulfilling career. Rosa, from the voluntary dependent group, told us: I鈥檇 like to graduate. Yeah, that鈥檚 my main priority where I am. And then I don鈥檛 know, I want to 鈥� find a job that I actually want to do 鈥� that would be worth my time 鈥� but I don鈥檛 even know where to start thinking about it. Proud of you, kid. These values had clearly been passed on from one generation to another. Rosa鈥檚 father told us: I think going to university is a good experience in itself and it also gives you opportunities, if you decide the opportunities aren鈥檛 鈥� you don鈥檛 want them then that鈥檚 fine, but at least you鈥檝e got them. In contrast, those young people from the 鈥渁mbitious鈥� group see education as a means to an end and closely linked to getting a job. Their parents have clearly passed on this attitude about education to their children. For example, Nick and his mother displayed a similar attitude regarding his educational choices, focusing on their utility rather than their intrinsic value. Transmission of capital All the parents in our study wanted to help their children with money, but their ability to do so varied. The parents of our young 鈥渆ntrepreneurs鈥� had comparatively less money, and so less available to pass on. In the families of the 鈥済radual progressors鈥� and the 鈥渁mbitious鈥�, there was some money available but this wasn鈥檛 always passed on to children in cash. Instead, parents invited their children back to live in the family home or helped them by creating a position in the family business. Those parents who can give their children extensive support are able to do so largely due to the extensive capital that they鈥檝e been able to accumulate as a consequence of their upward social mobility. Our analysis also shows that parents pass on values, which equip their children for certain paths in life, such as further education or working in the family business. What we see is an even stronger accumulation of capital and resources within certain families than had been shown by . If the UK doesn鈥檛 address this issue, even greater inequalities may develop between the haves and the have nots. , Research Associate in Politics, . Share: Latest News 缅北禁地 expert highlights climate crisis in a new film A leading 缅北禁地 climate scientist is featured in a new film about how the climate and nature breakdown will affect the UK. published on: 14 April 2026 Neolithic tombs reveal ancient kinship ties Male individuals buried in Neolithic chambered tombs in northern Scotland were often related to each other through the paternal line and some were interred in the same or nearby tombs, research shows. published on: 14 April 2026 We are our Memories New exhibition by Fine Art graduate Trish Hudson-Moses, 22 April 鈥� 4 May 2026 published on: 10 April 2026 Facts and figures
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