Young adult homeownership pathways and intergenerational support Homes, meanings and practices

This dissertation analyzed the homeownership pathways of young adults, negotiations of intergenerational support that pave the way to homeownership and meanings of homeownership in three cross-country case studies – England, Romania and Japan. Asset accumulation through the pursuit of homeownership has come to be seen as an important part of securing individual (and household) well-being and welfare in many developed economies. However, the financial crisis exposed growing problems with homeownership models that rely on increasingly financialized mortgage markets. Declining access to homeownership among young adults has been one of the main features of the post-GFC (global financial crisis) period. Meanwhile, for those that do access homeownership intergenerational support has become an integral part of pathways toward homeownership. This study started from the premise that in the post-GFC era resources/assets available to young adults within their family networks, and the practices or support toward homeownership are increasingly important to understanding housing markets. Furthermore, it is through the analysis of these practices that we can grasp new meanings of homeownership.