Syracuse (WSYR) – Throughout Central New York, thousands of recent college graduates will be looking for jobs—and moving back home.
A study by Harris Interactive in May found that 59 % of parents provide financial support to their adult children who are no longer in school.
The study also found the unemployment rate among 20-year-olds to 24-year-olds is more than 5% higher than the national average. Students are also graduating with twice as much student loan debt in 2009 than in 1993—an average of $24,000 according to the study.
Some experts believe, however, the move back home may not be completely due to financial reasons.
Dr. Bruce Carter is an Associate Professor at Syracuse University in Psychology and Child and Family Studies and said he was not surprised by the findings.
“We know this is a tendency that’s been going on for a period of time that young people are moving back into their parents’ homes in part because of economic reasons, but also in part because of psychological reasons,” Carter said.
Dr. Carter said he believes this generation has been programmed to be dependent.
“One of the things that I think is part of this whole issue is this notion of parents who don’t want to be parents,” said Carter. “They want to be friends with their children. And there is a line that one has to maintain as a parent of being the adult in the relationship.”
That means setting boundaries and parameters for responsibility, which Carter believes many Baby Boomer parents failed to do early enough in their children’s growth.
“While it’s easy to say to a child, ‘I’m going to get you something now in the grocery store because otherwise you’re screaming and driving me crazy,’ it’s actually not in the child’s best interest,” said Carter. “It’s better to teach the child to delay gratification because in the long run that is what we all need to do.”
Carter said as these seemingly unprepared 20-somethings enter the uncertain job market they are unfit to differentiate between wants and needs. To force these young adults to fend for themselves is not the right option either, Carter said.
“I’m not sure it’s actually a good idea to break that cycle in large part because of the strong economic consequences for the young folks who without parents’ assistance might not be able to make ends meat,” said Carter. “And we don’t want to have 20-year-olds starving on the streets because parents won’t take them back in.”
Carter believes the best strategy is to work together.
“What parents and their adult children need to do is have conversations about what exactly is possible, how can we manage this situation and how can we work together,” Carter said.
