The Young House Holder Deficit In Italy Compared To France

Few men and women between ages 20 and 29 appeared as independent householders in the 2001 census of Italy, compared to people at the same ages in the 1999 census of France. This Italian householder deficit occurred despite closely-matched timing in the two countries for finishing school, securing employment and getting married, refuting popular perceptions of avoidance by young Italians of these other adult roles as an explanation for the householder gap. Region-level data within these countries allow further evaluation of macro-level supply-side (housing) and demand-side (employment) explanations for the householder deficit. The demand-side hypothesis finds more empirical support than the supply-side hypothesis across regions in these countries, but both factors leave an important part of the inter-country difference in household headship unexplained.