At the other end of the age spectrum, elderly people who are married are unlikely to have children still at home whilst those who are widowed usually live alone. More detailed analysis of these two datasets has concentrated on living in and out of the parental home amongst those aged 16-35 in these two countries. Work with Sue Heath has shown that the majority of British men are living away from home by age 123 and, for women, by age 21. In Spain there is a five year time delay before comparable figures are reached - at age 28 and 26 respectively. In both countries, however, there has been an increase in rates of living at home during the 1980s.
Cohabitation is much lower in Spain than in Britain.
It is unusual in Spain to have a child whilst cohabiting and lone parenthood amongst women in their 20s is even more unusual. The reasons for these differences are complex and further work is planned which will include more detailed statistical analysis and a deeper analysis of contextual factors.