Odraczanie wyprowadzki z rodzinnego gniazda – konieczność czy strategia? Analiza zjawiska w Polsce
Deferring the Moment of Leaving the Family Nest: Necessity or Strategy? Analysis of the Phenomenon in Poland

Summary/Abstract: Contemporary social, cultural and economic changes are affecting the life cycle of both families and individuals, having a considerable impact on scientifically defined stages, the time assigned to them, and developmental tasks they are associated with. One such stage is that of an adult child moving out of the family home, a step that young adults today are increasingly keen on postponing. The phenomenon of delaying separation from one’s family is referred to as nesting. In-depth analyses show that even though financial factors (low income, low purchasing power among adult children, and the scarcity of jobs) are a significant determinant behind nesting in Poland, they do not fully explain young people’s reluctance or inability to ‘cut the umbilical cord’, and such decisions are also triggered by other motives. Moreover, the aforementioned financial problems and structural limitations, meaning unstable employment conditions, an uncertain and difficult labour market (saturated, highly competitive, and not matching the educational system), the high unemployment rate among young adults and property prices that are high or unaffordable, are often ‘taken advantage of’ for rationalising or concealing the underlying causes. The latter comprise the emergent combination of children’s and parents’ needs that are satisfied in the ‘crowded nest’ arrangement. This is why nesting, despite referring to the stance of the individual, is always a shared experience and the outcome of forces and vectors occurring within the family ecosystem. Nesters are not the only players in the crowded nest arrangement, as their guardians and sometimes their siblings also play significant roles. This leads to another conclusion, and namely that nesters in Poland are not the only beneficiaries of nesting, and likewise parents are not the only ones bearing the costs of this coexistence.

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