Alexia Baillie is 28 years old, has a full-time job as a project manager in clinical research and chooses to live at home in Toronto with her family.
As it turns out, about one third of Canadians between the ages of 20-34 are doing the same.
Baillie, who has Greek heritage, told Now Toronto that it is normal to live in multigeneration homes in her culture and that she feels no pressure to leave. In addition, living at home makes it much easier for her to save for a downpayment on a property.
Meanwhile, an expert says that the number of young Canadians living at home is large enough to consider it a social norm.
STEADY RISE IN YOUNG ADULTS LIVING AT HOME
Monica Boyd, a sociology professor at the University of Toronto who specializes in the study of parental-young adult co-residency, told Now Toronto in an interview that with a third of young adults staying at home, it no longer sets them apart, and that economic factors, the pandemic and new cultural conditions all contributed to the shift in young adults’ living arrangements.
Many of these shifts are reflected in government figures. In fact, Statistics Canada has recorded a steady rise in the number of young adults residing in their family homes since 2001.
Numbers peaked in 2016, where the share of people aged 20 to 34 living in the same household as at least one of their parents was 35 per cent. This was unchanged in the 2021 census.
Moreover, nearly one million households in 2021 were composed of multiple generations of a family, two or more census families, or one census family living with additional persons not in a census family, the government agency says.
In addition, the age profile of young adults who live with their parents has grown to include older ages. For example, in 2021, 46 per cent of young adults who lived with their parents were aged 25 to 34, compared with 38 per cent in 2001.
Boyd referred to this as the “postponement” or the “enlargement” of adulthood whereby the transition from adolescence is effectively extended.
“People are now not marrying until their mid 30s or early 30s, if they’re marrying at all, the economic conditions that have caused younger adults, 20 to 29, to go back and live with their parents, or maybe never leave their parents are now affecting these 30 to 34 year olds,” she explained.
Employment patterns among this age group have also become more uncertain, Boyd added.
Within the last 20-25 years, the growth of a certain proportion of the population taking on “precarious jobs” has risen. The term is used in academic circles and refers to casual work, contract work, and freelancing, Boyd said.
The erosion of workplace rigidity, typical in generations prior, has paved the way for more fluid employment without discernible career paths.This means people often find themselves in bouts of unemployment, or between gigs, and that they may come back and live at home during these periods, or choose not to leave home in the first place, she explained.
Gig work, and more specifically living at home as a young adult, has become so common that Boyd no longer considers it to be of note.
“The age group 20 to 35 is close to one-thirds living with one parent or both parents. You know, when you’re talking one out of three, there’s nothing that sets you apart,” she said.
As well as this, home ownership has become increasingly out of reach for first-time buyers, particularly in urban hubs such as Toronto. Meanwhile, rent, until December 2024 when it hit a 15-month national low, has risen steadily since 2021, according to rentals.ca.
At the same time, roommate households have become more prominent.
Roommate households are composed of two or more people not in a census family and experienced the fastest growth of any household configuration from 2001 to 2021, (+54 per cent), according to Statistics Canada.
“This was also true in the last five years: from 2016 to 2021, where the number of roommate households increased by 14 per cent,” it added.
“These shifts reflect in part challenges related to housing availability and affordability, as well as shifting lifestyle or cultural preferences,” Statistics Canada wrote.
Nonetheless, Toronto real estate broker Bethany King says she is hopeful that first-time homebuyers within the 25-35 age bracket will come off the sidelines in 2025.
“With the anticipated adjustments to mortgage rules, such as lower downpayment requirements and extended amortization periods, coupled with expected interest rate reductions, I believe that many individuals who previously found homeownership out of reach may begin exploring their options to purchase,” she said.
WHY YOUNG ADULTS ARE STAYING HOME
Baillie, says she chooses to reside with her family for a number of reasons, the primary being financial, but that her Greek heritage plays a significant role.
“First and foremost, [living at home] allows me to save significantly on housing costs, which is particularly important as I pursue my goal of saving for a downpayment for a property,” she said, adding that having a support system in the same space is essential to her well-being.
Moreover, in Greek culture many people live in multi-generational homes. Baille says this made her choice to stay feel “natural.”
Baillie told Now that while she does have plans to move out within the next two to three years, her current living situation provides enough stability that there is no need to make any decisions prematurely.
“My current living arrangement enables me to focus on other priorities and save strategically, ensuring that when the time comes to move, I am fully prepared,” she said.
Though Baillie enjoys the financial benefits of living at home, it doesn’t come without sacrifice.
“A notable drawback is the lack of full autonomy when it comes to decorating or organizing the space to reflect my personal taste, as it’s ultimately a shared household,” she concluded.
Similarly, Nikita, a 29-year-old senior escalations associate in the short-term rental industry, also lives with her family in Toronto.
As a South Asian woman, Nikita says she, like plenty of young women in her culture, will live at home until she is married.
“I’ve had experiences of living abroad during my undergrad, but my family would prefer me to stay at home until I get married. Also, it ‘looks bad’ if single Indian women live alone, and it can be a reputational risk to the family, as the older generation does not understand the concept of gaining independence by moving out,” she wrote.
Nikita and her boyfriend are planning to get engaged this year, which means leaving the family home is on the horizon.
“By next year, we should be planning on moving out and living together,” she added.
Like Baillie, Nikita says the primary benefit of living at home is that it allows her to save money. She has set up a fund that will cover her expenses once she moves out.
On the contrary, she says the arrangement can be a hindrance to her independence, which takes a toll on her mental health.
“My family takes care of the household, [I] never had the experience of living alone. A lot of family conflict, feels like you’re reaping the benefits by sacrificing your mental health,” she concluded.
