Prolonged Coresidence: Difficulties and Benefits of Israeli Arab Emerging Adults Who Live with Their Parents

Abstract

This qualitative study focuses on Israeli Arab emerging adults who live at home with their parents, and explores their experience as to the benefits and difficulties of prolonged coresidence. Semi-structured open interviews were conducted with 16 Arab emerging adults (8 women, 8 men), who live at home with their parents. Findings reveal that most participants live with their parents out of respect to cultural norms. While doing so they experience ambivalence: The benefits are family support and convenient living conditions, the difficulties include living according to social expectations, dealing with parents’ criticism, and issues related to the generation gap.

It’s appears that the Arab emerging adults are making their way in a changing society, and a great deal of their obstacles at home with their parents is related directly to a society in transition.