Residential Emancipation and the Housing Provision System: Regional Heterogeneity in the Spanish Model

Abstract

Residential emancipation in Spain is not unaffected by the
characteristics of the broader housing context. As a process,
emancipation is not only dependent on the individual attributes of
young people, but can also be explained by a provision system
characterized by the predominance of home ownership (in detriment to
rental housing) and high prices, which make access to housing difficult
for young people. Drawing on sources such as the Spanish Labour
Force Survey and the Housing Census (2001 and 2011), this article
confirms the existence of internal heterogeneity, arguing that the
different characteristics of the tenancy system of primary residencies
and in efforts to access available housing on the market – from a
comparative regional perspective – are influencing emancipation.