Browsing by Author "Kanerva, Tuuli"

Youngsters leave their childhood home and move to their own apartment in the age of 18–20 in Finland. This is quite early compared to the rest of European countries. Independency and getting a job or going to study are the major reasons for youngsters to move out. Immigration has been growing in Finland and the children of people from the first great immigration wave in the 90’s are now in the age when they start to think about independency and moving out. These young, second generation immigrants and their housing have not been studied much. In this study the purpose is to examine the thoughts of young people with immigrant background. Specially about housing and independent living and when and why these youngsters think is an adequate age to move out. The data for the study was collected with interviews which is typical for qualitative research. Five 20–24 years old people with an immigrant background were interviewed, two of them were men and three of them were women. The interviewees were found partly from the researchers circle of acquaintances and partly from a vocational school. Interviews were recorded and transcribed. A theory-based content analysis was used. The interviewees did not describe the ideal apartment in detail. Only a sauna was mentioned in more than half of the interviews. A grocery store within walking distance and a good public transportation are important to youngsters with an immigrant background. Youngsters with an immigrant background have almost the same reasons for moving out as Finnish youngsters. The major reasons are independency and a need for their own space. The interviewees thought that an adequate age to move out is around 18–20 years even some of them still lived with their parents.