Asha Jahan has what she calls “overprotective parents.”
The 18-year-old freshman lives at home and financially relies on her parents. There is an unspoken agreement that if Jahan continues to follow their rules she will be allowed to live under their roof and receive money for her basic needs.
“My parents help me in every way basically,” Jahan explained. “I’m not working so they pay for everything. They pay for my clothes and food and everything. They will also give me money for the rest of the week.”
Jahan is not alone.
According to new data collected by the Pew Research Center, one in five adults still receive financial support from their parents. Whether it is from living at home or receiving money for food and clothes, adults between the ages of 18 and 34 continue to receive money from their parents for more than basic needs.
As the semester comes to a close, students will inevitably continue to turn to their parents for financial support. Working and non-working students are likely to rely on their parents to financially support their summer plans. These plans may consist of various trips, entertainment or even just having the student stay home.
Psychology major Gabriela Sanchez, 21, is among those who still receive help from their parents. Sanchez notes that her parents’ money goes past necessities like educational expenses. She describes her relationship with her parents as a bond where they “help each other out.
“They pay for my tuition, and if I ever need money from them for something, they understand then they will give it to me,” Sanchez said. She notes that her parents assist her with weekly groceries as well as credit card payments if she does not have enough money.
Sanchez listed many other reasons as to why her parents still help her out, one of these reasons being the difficulty of going to school.
“I am a full-time student and I can only work two days a week and so they understand that sometimes I need help,” she said.
According to the Pew Research survey, eight in 10 adults from the ages of 25 to 34 years old say they are not stable enough to live on their own.
Three out of 10 adults between the ages of 24 and 35 are living at home with their parents. This is the highest number of live-at-home grown children since the 1950s, the survey noted.
Forty percent of men and 38 percent of women between the ages of 18 and 34 still live at home according to the survey.
Jahan, communication studies major, said the financial help she receives from her parents won’t change anytime soon because it is a way for them to keep her bounded.
Jahan explained that her relationship with her parents has its “ups and downs,” and that she believes her parents will continue to provide for her as long as she obeys their rules.
According to Shirley Svorny from the department of economics, the reason behind students still asking for financial help from their parents may be as simple as “people who want money will go to people who want to give them money.
“There isn’t a real economic basis behind it,” Svorny said. “Maybe the recession has to do with it but the recession isn’t really happening as much right now. I think it just has to do with students who need money and parents who want to help.”
Svorny also explained that most students will stay home in order to save money for the future.
While both Sanchez and Jahan still live at home, 19-year-old undecided major Melissa Juarez is among those who live away from home yet still receives money from her parents.
“They help me with money but not a lot,” said Juarez, who lives in the CSUN dorms. “(My parents) will give me money for clothes or if I need shampoo or something. I’m not working right now but I did take out a loan and I did get financial aid so they mostly help me food and other stuff. We have a great relationship.”
According to the Pew Research Center, 2,048 adults nationwide were surveyed in December 2011. Gender and race did not play a part in the numbers collected.
