Britons are youngest Europeans to leave home and start families

We may all be Europeans now but when it comes to family life, the British household remains refreshingly untypical. A major new study of family life across the Continent reveals huge cultural and economic differences.

It shows British men eager to leave the family nest and move in with a partner, while women give birth at a much younger age than in any other country in European Union.

According to the vast study into 73,000 families across the EU, British men in their 20s are five times more likely than their Italian counterparts to be living with their partners.

By contrast, young Italians are far happier, waiting well into adulthood before leaving the comforts of home. The average Italian woman will wait until she is 27 before moving out, but half of all Italian men stay at home until they are 30, and rarely have children in their 20s.

In common with most other north European countries, young Britons are also far more mobile. Danes leave home at the earliest age, with half of young women leaving by 20 and half of men leaving by 21. In Britain, half of women have left by 21 and half of men at 23.

This division between southern and northern Europe is even more pronounced when it comes to giving birth. The study, called Diverse Family Forms Across Europe, reveals that the UK has the earliest fertility rates of all the countries in the EU – and the highest teenage births.

The UK also has the highest percentage of women giving birth in their early 20s, and half of women become mothers by the age of 27.

"I think it is partly a matter of different preferences in different countries," said Professor Richard Berthoud of the Institute for Social and Economic Research at Essex University and a co-author of the study. The contrast lies in a much stronger sense of family in southern Catholic countries such as Italy, Spain and Portugal, where there is far less emphasis on leaving home for careers or to establish independent households.

"There is clearly a social convention of family support in the south and independence in the north," said Prof Berthoud. "And in Italy, those who are better off tend to remain home as long as possible, whereas people in the north tend to leave home even if they are going to be poor when they get there."

One recent university graduate, Chris Turtle, 21, exemplifies the current attitudes of young British adults. He and his friends are extremely keen to leave home. "I don't know anyone who wants to be living with their parents," he said. "We got used to the freedom at university."

Along with the Dutch, Italian women are most likely to delay motherhood, with only half of women having a child by age 30. By 25, only 8 per cent of Italian men are in permanent partnerships, and only 5 per cent of Italian women in their 20s cohabit. Rates of unmarried partnerships are even lower in southern Europe, where fewer than 10 per cent of young women living with their partners are unmarried.

Households are generally much smaller in Scandinavia, with the average family at 2.2 people per house in Sweden. Britain ranks at 2.8, but in Italy, the figure stands at 3.4, at 3.6 in Portugal and 3.8 in Spain. In Mediterranean countries, grandparents living with their grown children make up the numbers, often living there to care for their grandchildren. "In the southern countries, you are always a part of a family. You just move from one to the next," Prof Berthoud said.

The Turtles, Surrey: 'We're very eager to get a place of our own'

Who lives there?

Dad Brian, 52, mum Judith, 51, both their children Katherine, 24, and Chris, 21, and, unusually, Katherine's boyfriend Oliver Reed-Smith, 24, who has been sharing her room for six months.

What do they do?

Brian is a manager at BP Chemicals, Judith is a writer. Katherine works for a publishing company and Oliver designs video games. Chris has just left university and wants to be a writer but is currently unemployed. The household income tops £50,000.

Moving out?

Katherine and Oliver, who have been dating for five years, are searching for a flat and hope to move out early next year.

"We have no plans for marriage. We are just eager to get a place of our own," Katherine says. Chris would also like to move out, but can't afford to. He has even thought of "crashing on a friend's couch in Paris".

Family harmony?

Good, although the living room can feel overcrowded and Katherine and Chris still bicker. "Sometimes when we are all sitting there I feel like we are in The Royle Family," Judith says. But the house is big enough for everyone to have their own space.

The family doesn't holiday together but did meet up in New Zealand for Christmas last year when Katherine was living there.

Both children have recently been asked to contribute to household expenses – £150 a month if in work, £100 if unemployed. Judith does most of the cooking and cleaning, though Katherine does help at times. She did more when she was out of work. Brian does home repairs and gardening, while Chris admits that he does not help out much at all.

The Cavaglieres, Rome: 'It's a very close and happy household'

Who lives there?

Dad Gennaro, 74, mother Carmela, 54, and their children Gianluca, 29, and Marica, 25.

What do they do?

Gennaro is retired and Carmela is a primary school teacher. Gianluca works for a computer company and Marica is studying biology at university.

Moving out?

Both children plan to move away eventually. "Gianluca doesn't want to live close to the family," Marica says, "but he can't afford a mortgage yet and his girlfriend is still looking for a job."

Family harmony?

Excellent. The family gets together every August at their holiday home outside Rome, where they are joined by Gianluca's girlfriend and Marica's boyfriend. "They are part of the family," says Marica. "We love it there. The whole family is together, just as in Rome, but we breathe fresh air and have fun. It's a very close and happy household. Our parents are tolerant and loving and everybody does their duties. My mother and I do the shopping, cooking and cleaning."

Gianluca contributes 10 per cent of his salary to cover household expenses. "He covers his own expenses – not like me, I still have to rely on my parents for everything," says Marica. "He has his own life but loves to come home because that's where he finds his shirts ironed and where he is pampered. We love him dearly and all sit down for dinner together in the evening."