Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER)
Maison des Sciences Humaines
11, Porte des Sciences
L-4366 Esch-sur-Alzette / Belval
Salle de conférence (1st floor)
seminars@liser.lu
Abstract
Parental support, defined as the set of tangible and intangible resources provided by parents to their offspring, is playing an increasingly important role in shaping young people's housing futures. While many studies have scrutinized parental help in youth transitions to adulthood, access to homeownership and broader dynamics of intergenerational wealth accumulation, there is little evidence on family housing support for university students. Today, young people spend more time in education, and studying remains a primary reason for leaving the parental home and starting an independent housing career. Attending university increases young people’s opportunities for upward social mobility. However, the widespread inaccessibility of housing markets, including in university cities, is placing additional constraints on the educational mobility patterns and family budgets. Characterized by a family-based housing regime, persisting territorial divides, and weak state provision of scholarships, Italy represents a relevant context to study how family support shapes the housing patterns of university students. Drawing on a representative sample of the student population at the University of Milan Bicocca in Northern Italy (N=19,401), this seminar will explore the main types of student housing arrangements, highlighting the varying forms and drivers of parental support. Findings show that family wealth, geographical origin, student financial autonomy, and the length of housing independence are key factors that distinguish family-supported students from those in independent housing situations. The implications of these results will be discussed considering the ongoing dynamics of socio-economic and regional inequalities, which force students from the least advantaged areas and poor transport connectivity to navigate increasingly tight housing markets with unequal levels of resources.
Biography
Dr. Igor Costarelli is a research fellow at the Department of Sociology and Social Research at the University of Milano Bicocca. His research focuses on the role of housing in the dynamics of socio-spatial inequalities, including social mix policies, residential segregation, and the management of social housing within a comparative international framework. Currently, he is investigating the reconfiguration of tenant identities in alternative tenure forms in social and collaborative housing targeting young people, as well as emerging trends in student housing in Milan. He also co-coordinates the Housing and Young People working group at the European Network for Housing Research.
