The costs for an independent life and cultural differences keep children close to or away from their parental home. In Nordic countries, for example, young people move out on their own when they come of age, while in the southern part of the continent, they stay with their families for as long as possible.

Boy: "It's much more convenient with parents from a financial point of view, you don't pay bills, food or other things, but it's necessary to take life by the horns and become independent because parents won't always be there for you".

Yet many of those who want to become independent delay it for a while. Most of the time, the costs associated with maintaining a household hold them back.

Andrei, young man: "I live with my parents and I'm thinking that after college, when I have a stable job, I'll get a studio or a two-room apartment, although it's very difficult, because nowadays all rents are very expensive and, considering entry-level salaries, we can't really afford these accommodations".

At the EU level, the number of young people aged 25 to 34 who have a job and live with their parents increased from 24% in 2017 to 27% last year.

While in Nordic countries, such as Sweden, Denmark or Finland, young people quickly leave their parental home, things are different for southern European countries. Italy saw an increase from 41% to 48%, while Croatia from 58% to 65%. In our country, 36% of young people still live in their parental home.

Sociologists say that cultural differences keep young people close to their families.

Ana Bulai, sociologist: "All this structure of the extended family, relationships, affective comfort, linguistic intensity - people from the southern part of Romania - from Oltenia, but also from Italy, for example, talk a lot, need to communicate a lot, feel good in large families. In this way problems are dissipated and a cultural model is created in which coldness and individualism are strongly diluted. It's not a source of pride to have succeeded solely on your own; instead, it's more about being content, because you've used the family's resources to live comfortably".

On the other hand, housing prices have also risen enormously lately, and rents are equally high. Moreover, there are not enough support programs for young families.

Dragoș Cabat, economist: "The problem of very expensive education in developed countries, which again poses a problem. Some young people have to borrow to pay these costs, even more so to be able to move to another house. They do not have higher education, they have lower salaries, and this is also a major problem".

At the same time, the age at which young people start a family has increased, reaching 30 for girls and over 32 for boys. With declining birth rates, however, the pressure on the pension and insurance budget is increasing. Unemployment among young people in Romania up to 25 years old exceeded 22% in April.