Why do Pinoys Let Adult Children Live in the House After they Turn 18
Filipinos, also called Pinoys, are well-known for their close family ties. While closeness among family members also exist in other cultures, Pinoys go further by sheltering unmarried adults in the same household they grew up in. So, why do Pinoys still let their adult children live with them even after they turn 18? Why is it the acceptable norm at all? Well, there are a lot of factors and reasons to consider. Some families actually consider a combination of factors. There are emotional, financial, and moral factors that all make up the cultural reason.
The Family Setup
The Filipino family is prone to accepting extensions to the nth level. You can even find four generations of one family living in one house, from the great-grandchildren to the great-grandparents. Not only that, even godchildren and close friends sometimes become part of this extended family setup. If this is possible, it is even more logical to expect unmarried adults to live with their parents. Even married ones sometimes still do if poor finances require them to stay put. Finances aside, some unmarried adults also live with their parents because it is what is expected in the Filipino culture. This means that there are wealthy families that still include unmarried adults in their fold. Though there are debutante’s ball that declare eighteen year old girls as adults, teenagers are generally regarded as children in the Filipino society. So, they are wholly dependent on their parents for most things. On the other hand, poorer Filipino parents are dependent on the youthful strength and additional income of their children. The living together setup is just a practical response to their situation.
Value System
Staunchly Catholic, even with the modernization of societies, Filipino families are still conservative, especially when still controlled by an older patriarch or matriarch. Unmarried Filipinos are still supervised by their parents most of the times. Some only live alone when they are already working for themselves and most of the times, also for the whole family. Unmarried adults are only regarded as adults if they are feeding the rest of the family. In wealthier families, unmarried Pinoy adults have to wait until they get married before they can live away from their family. Of course, nowadays, there are some young adults who resort to domestic partnerships that let them live away from their parents. In some cases though, even the domestic partner becomes part of the original family structure. Unattached and unmarried Pinoys without financial responsibilities to family members are quite rare.
Related Questions:
1. Do you think that unmarried Filipinos living alone will increase in the coming years?
2. Does status in life significantly affect whether Filipinos live with their parents before marriage?
3. Does this setup discourage young Filipinos from taking on early the responsibility of marriage and their own home?