Adulthood, home-leaving and informal settlement: a study of the Marikana informal settlement in Philippi East, Cape Town

Abstract

Home leaving is an important marker of the transition to adulthood for young adults. Moving out of the parental home and establishing individual residence is often interpreted as a sign of independence for young adults. By transitioning to an independent lifestyle, young adults are able to meet their adulthood endeavours such as fulfilling their maternal and paternal aspirations, pursuing marriage, having children, seeking employment, becoming sexually active, and becoming socially and economically independent. Leaving the parental home is often associated with possessing economic resources. Young adults in urban societies usually decide to move out of their parental home when they have adequate economic resources such as income and transferrable assets. The rationale is that the more resources a young adult has, the greater possibility that he or she will establish his/her own independent residence. This is usually the case for middle-class young adults, but for lower-class young adults who come from townships, rural areas, and informal settlements, the case is very different. Lower-class young adults from disadvantaged backgrounds usually lack the necessary income and transferrable assets to establish an independent lifestyle.