Young adults not ready to fly the nest
Published 15 May, 2008, 04:59
Nearly a third of Russians under 40 are still living with their parents. For many it is out of necessity, but for others gathering several generations under one roof is a matter of traditional values.
At 20, Anna got married and left home, but instead of private newly-wedded bliss she found herself bunking in with the in-laws.
“We lived with his mother, and it didn’t work. There’s a Russian saying: two housewives in one kitchen is a recipe for disaster,” she said.
After three years she gave up on the situation, and her marriage.
Now she and her ex-husband live separately with their own parents. She still dreams of her own home.
Financial experts say getting a foot on the property ladder should be getting easier.
“We really think mortgages will become more available for the average Russian person. More and more banks are offering mortgages. The variety of mortgage products has increased a lot,” said Katherina Touton from an American bank.
Inside Russia the view is different. Even for the country’s largest real estate agency Miel, living as a large family is a cultural institution.
“The most important thing is to give a chance for old and young people to get a mortgage, to rent additional square metres. It’s more important to improve conditions, not to split up families,” believes Evgeny Plaksenkov, the agency’s director.
Whatever the conditions, some Russians actively refuse to fly the nest.
Nowhere is this more apparent than at home with the Lobanov family. Four generations of the family live in a three-room Moscow apartment.
It’s cramped and noisy, but these are the family’s only complaints.
When it comes to the plus side, they all sing to the same tune.
“We have a kind of collective reasoning, a collective attack on any problem,” they say.
But they admit they're a minority.
A decade after the financial crisis it’s estimated over half the Russian population is still looking for a quick fix in their living conditions, with large numbers willing to rent in order to secure their adult freedom.
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