Silke Jasso
Congratulations! You graduated with your degree and you have your diploma framed, now what? Well, unfortunately, It’s time for you reality check.
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According to a study conducted by The New York Times, typically, most adults look for a job 18 miles from their mother. Why? Well, looking for an opportunity across the country isn’t really an option for some, due to the financial situation and less job opportunities.
Only 20 percent live more than a couple hours’ drive from their parents, especially in the Northeast and South, with the West Coast and the Mountain States having the biggest distance between them. This could possibly be explained due to the geography: people live farther apart in rural areas than urban.
Pew Research Center found that over the last decades, Americans have become less mobile with fewer leaving their hometowns. With exception of military services or college, around 37 percent of Americans had never lived outside their hometown and 57 percent never left their home state.
Cue in the money talk. These percentages are low due to yes, the financial support. Families tends to stay together to help whenever the situation might get tough. This is especially common when it comes to parents or grandparents helping parents with their children. Most families earn less than $30,000 a year, depending on family members for child care. While those who earn more than $75,000 are more likely to enroll their children in daycare due to the extra income. Hence, dual earner families with lower incomes need backup, which is why they ask parents for help at no cost.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bk2rT9Un5z2/?tagged=daycare
Another factor why most don’t leave home? Career opportunities.
Robert A. Pollack, economic at Washington University in St. Louis, explained how usually, the more advance someone is when it comes to education, the farther from home they go. Middle class and educated two income couples are more likely to live near parents, than those with professional degrees.
“It speaks to a class divide in the population. Particularly as you go further down the socioeconomic scale, people are living pretty close to their parents, and this means they’re able to provide help.”
Researchers believe that the proximity to parents is not only related to opportunity, but it is actually affected by income and education. Usually, people with advanced degrees are most likely to head out than someone with only a highschool education. Women are more likely than men to leave their hometowns, much like married people are more likely to live further from their parents than singles.
What about race? Well, the data divided both racial and cultural factors, showing blacks are more likely to live near family than Whites. Latinos and Mexican-American families are more likely to provide aging parents with in person care than Euro-American, who are more likely to provide financial support.
Bottom line? As much as we all complain we’d like to leave our home town, Americans tend to lean on loved ones for support. Whether it be emotionally, financially, or physically. If you ask me, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Close-knit families for the win!
