"Social scientists are gradually responding to the challenge of re-theorizing youth transitions in the face of social change, and this book makes an important contribution to the literature in this respect. It provides absorbing insights into intergenerational change and its effect on intergenerational relationships, and will be of interest to students of family studies as well as youth studies." Gill Jones, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, Keele University How do young people experience leaving home? What is the relationship between leaving home, independence and adulthood? How important are family, friends and other sources of support in young people's lives? This book addresses important aspects of youth transitions. It uses the experiences of leaving or planning to leave the parental home as an example of an increasingly complex transition, one which provides the opportunity to reflect upon the meanings of home, independence and adulthood. It explores cross-cultural differences , as well as the interrelationships between transitions to adulthood, the achievement of independence, and leaving home. The role of significant others, particularly parents, on young people's decisions is a key theme, as well as considering how young people's practices impact on others. The book places the processes of leaving the parental home in a wider perspective, theoretically and in terms of policy concerns. Throughout the text, different international contexts are used for comparison. Drawing on a broad range of disciplines including sociology, geography, social policy, youth studies and cultural studies, this is a key text for researchers, post-graduate students and final year undergraduates interested in issues related to the family, youth studies and comparative social sciences.