population who keep residing in prefectures other than their birth prefectures out of all respondents who ever had lived outside their birth prefectures. This percentage is higher for females than for males. The percentage by age shows that, it is low among males in the latter half of the 40s and in their 50s, but again increases among those in their 60s and up. The rate of out-migration to prefectures other than the prefecture of birth is high among males in the cohort aged 60 and up and the proportion of those returning to their prefectures of birth is low. For females as well, this rate exceeds 70% in the cohort aged 60 and up. Although the percentage of female respondents who have moved to prefectures other than their birth is lower than that of their male counterparts, but once they out-migrate outside their prefecture of birth, they tend to remain in other prefectures.

## V I Leaving Home and Reasons for Leaving Home

### 1. Experience of Leaving Home

The present survey asked household heads and their spouses about their experience of leaving home, the age at which they left home, and the reasons for leaving home. Experience of leaving home is defined as “experience of living away from one’s parents.” Table VI-1 shows data on experience of leaving home and age of leaving home by sex, birth cohort, and place of residence (metropolitan or non-metropolitan).

For males, the percentages with experience of leaving home are a little below 80% for respondents born in 1939 and before, regardless of whether the place of residence was metropolitan or non-metropolitan. However, the percentage grows to exceed 80% for those born in 1940 and after, surpassing 90% for respondents born in the 1960s and reaching about 95% for the generation born in the 1970s, in both residence categories. The percentage of the population that continues to live with their parents rather than leaving home after establishing new households through marriage is rapidly decreasing. The rise in the percentage of those with experience of leaving home indicates that, although the proportion of those who are first

Table VI-1 Experience of Leaving Home: Household Heads and Spouses

Year of Birth	Male	Female
Total	Having experienced leaving home	Average age at leaving home	Total	Having experienced leaving home	Average age at leaving home
Yes	No	Yes	No
Total	8,741	7,441	1,300	21.5	8,811	7,638	1,173	22.1
85.1	14.9	86.7	13.3
Non-Metropolitan Areas	4,631	3,870	761	21.0	4,706	4,069	637	21.5
83.6	16.4	86.5	13.5
Metropolitan Areas	4,110	3,571	539	22.1	4,105	3,569	536	22.6
86.9	13.1	86.9	13.1
1929 or before	Non-Metropolitan Areas	357	257	100	21.6	423	345	21.7
72.0	28.0	81.6	18.4
Metropolitan Areas	266	211	55	22.4	268	42	23.5
79.3	20.7	84.3	15.7
1930 to 1939	Non-Metropolitan Areas	703	513	190	21.2	666	543	22.4
73.0	27.0	81.5	23.3
Metropolitan Areas	597	467	130	22.6	514	435	23.3
78.2	21.8	84.6	15.4
1940 to 1949	Non-Metropolitan Areas	1,065	861	204	21.2	1,018	848	21.4
80.9	19.2	83.3	22.1
Metropolitan Areas	925	788	137	21.8	905	758	22.1
85.2	14.8	83.8	16.2
1950 to 1959	Non-Metropolitan Areas	960	816	144	20.8	902	782	21.1
85.0	15.0	86.7	22.6
Metropolitan Areas	708	606	102	22.4	720	630	22.6
85.6	14.4	87.5	22.1
1960 to 1969	Non-Metropolitan Areas	699	638	61	21.3	780	700	22.1
91.3	8.7	89.7	23.3
Metropolitan Areas	762	691	71	22.3	786	688	23.3
90.7	9.3	87.5	23.3
1970 to 1979	Non-Metropolitan Areas	584	549	35	20.7	667	613	21.5
94.0	6.0	91.9	22.8
Metropolitan Areas	586	555	31	22.1	662	599	22.8
94.7	5.3	90.5	23.3
1980 to 1989	Non-Metropolitan Areas	161	157	4	18.2	145	143	19.2
97.5	2.5	98.6	14
Metropolitan Areas	178	175	3	19.2	169	161	19.2
98.3	1.7	95.3	4.7