Home leaving and migration of young adults in indonesia: the role of education and household assets

Firman Witoelar, World Bank Group

The departure from the parental home, whether to migrate or to establish an independent household nearby, is one of the salient events experienced by young adults during their life course. This paper investigates the factors determining home leaving among young adults in Indonesia, using data from three waves of the Indonesia Family Life Survey, IFLS1(1993), IFLS2(1997) and IFLS3(2000). The paper exploits the longitudinal nature of the survey to answer the following questions: what role do parental/household assets and human capital play in influencing whether the individual: i) co-reside with their parents, ii) establish new households near his/her parents' households (move locally), iii) migrate. Preliminary findings suggest that age, potential wages, and household assets influence home leaving and migration decisions of sons. For daughters, wages of potential spouses influence decision to migrate but not to move locally. Different types of assets influence local move and migration differen