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The Age at Leaving Home in the United States, 1850–1860

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 January 2016

Richard H. Steckel
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Extract

Historically, the departure of children from the parental home was an important economic and social phenomenon. Because it was equivalent to establishing a new residence, the decision to leave is relevant to our understanding of the history of migration. Leaving home was also a milestone in the life cycle that typically signaled a transition from semidependence to greater economic and social responsibility on the part of the individual, a change that affected labor force participation, family income, expenditures on housing, schooling or training, socialization, and interaction among siblings. In turn, couples considered these implications in formulating fertility goals and strategies.

Type
Articles
Information
Social Science History , Volume 20 , Issue 4 , Winter 1996 , pp. 507 - 532
Copyright
Copyright © Social Science History Association 1996 

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