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Money in the transition to adulthood: patterns of allocation between parents and children in Italy

Money in the transition to adulthood: patterns of allocation between parents and children in Italy. Emanuela Rinaldi ( Dipartimento di Sociologia, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milano – ITALY) & Carole B. Burgoyne (School of Psychology, University of Exeter – UK).

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Money in the transition to adulthood: patterns of allocation between parents and children in Italy

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  1. Money in the transition to adulthood: patterns of allocation between parents and children in Italy Emanuela Rinaldi (Dipartimento di Sociologia, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milano – ITALY) & Carole B. Burgoyne (School of Psychology, University of Exeter – UK) IAREP Conference, 5-7 September 2008, Rome

  2. Overview of today’s talk • Economic socialization: research in Italy • The present study: questions, method and sample • Results: typology of allocation system during adolescence (5 groups) • Brief description of 2 or 3 of the groups • Discussion

  3. 1. Economic socialization • The process by which individuals acquire skills, knowledge & attitudes relevant to functioning in the economy. • The process starts in childhood and continues through whole life-cycle and involves many socialization agencies • In Italy, familystill plays a crucial role (Operto 2008)

  4. Research on economic socialization in Italy • Well established research interest in: (i) cognitive psychology on economic world of children (Berti & Bombi 1988; Bombi 1991; Bombi 1996; Bombi & Cannoni 2008) (ii) behavioral economics and game theory • Studies in social psychology & sociology, mainly on: • teenagers’ views of macro-economic issues • general attitudes towards money • quantitative aspects of money received by children and teenagers (see: Dosso & Rosci 2000; Paliaga & Provenzano 2001;Dei 2006; Ruspini 2008; Pedrizzi & Castrovilli 2008)

  5. But… • In everyday life do different systems of money allocation (e.g. allowance versus money-on demand) overlap? • Why do Italian parents choose specific systems of money allocation for their children? • How are different systems of money allocation perceived by Italian children?

  6. 2. Aims of the study • 1) Investigate the range of ways that parents give their children access to money, the reasons for these, and the consequences. • 2) develop a typology of intergenerational money allocation

  7. Method: qualitative exploratory study • Research design based on personal reflections as well as from previous researches on intra-couple (e.g. Pahl 1989; Burgoyne 1990) and inter-generational exchange of money (e.g.: Godbout 1992; Cicchelli 1997; Santoro 2002 ) • In depth-interviews with children and parents • Each participant interviewed separately.

  8. Sample • 26 young adults • working full-time for at least 2 years, women and men, aged 27-34 years, having finished or interrupted their study, • 20 of their parents (12 mothers and 8 fathers) • all parents were asked to participate. Not all agreed. • All living in Milan or metropolitan surroundings

  9. Interview topic list • Children’s work career(since the very first occasional job) • Children’ money management from adolescence till the present • Parent-child money exchange from adolescence till the present • (Briefly) atmosphere in the home and specific changes from adolescence to the present In this presentation we will focus mainly on adolescence.

  10. 3. Results: • We used criteria derived from Pahl’s typology (1989: 57-58) for the allocation of income • control: power of deciding how economic resources are to be distributed in the family. • management: is the carrying out of decisions that have already been made about resource allocation in the family

  11. 3.1) Parents’ level of control • Control of money in the inter-generational relationship was measured by indicators like: • The possibility for children: • to work or find an extra-family source of income • to keep money earned or obtained (e.g., from grandparents) for themselves • to spend family money on items not approved (e.g.: buying short skirts cut jeans cigarettes a scooter) • not to justify their spending to parents • If children had all these possibilities we assumed that parents’ control was low

  12. 3.2) Children’s perceived freedom in money management for personal spending • Degree of autonomy that a teenager has to spend money once s/he has earned or obtained it or had the authorization to spend it. • It may vary a lot between the different categories of expenditures • teenagers’ perception of freedom supposed to be related to teenagers’ perception of satisfaction about the system of allocation of money

  13. A TYPOLOGY OF ALLOCATION SYSTEM DURING ADOLESCENCE 

  14. Due to the time constraints we will focus only on 2 or 3 groups  • Group 4: «Support & protection» • Parents’ level of control: high • Perc. children’s freedom in money- management: high • Group 2: «Financial literacy» • Parents’ level of control: medium • Perc. children’s freedom in money- management: high • Group 5: «Money as a tool for control» • Parents’ level of control: very high • Perc. children’s freedom in money- management: low

  15. Group 4: Support and Protection – summarising participants’ comments. • «I have always got what I wanted…basically because my parents were paying for it» • Material things received as compensation for missing love (independently of parent’s socio-economic status) • Your duty is to study • Working while studying is a waste of time – or risky • Earning money to increase level of consumption

  16. 4.1 «I have always got what I wanted…basically because my parents were paying for it» • «Basically what I have wanted in my teenager hood I have always been able to afford it because my parents were paying for it! I mean I was saying…I want this. Is it OK? OK. I want that. OK. I mean things I was asking for they understood they were always reasonable…and I got them» (Diego, M Family 1 M-high SE-status) Group 4

  17. … and I have always been a bit afraid to talk about this with my parents…» (Donata F Family 20  M-high SE-status) 4.3 Your duty is to study • «I begun to do this occasional job because a girl from Monza in the high school needed help in English lesson and the headmaster who was my professor as well had suggested her to contact me…I thought a bit about itbecause my parents have always been against this. My father had always told me “your job is to study. I work 8 hours a day. You study 8 hours a days. It is correct that you do not get distracted with something else… Group 4

  18. in that case I would have said to my father “yes you give me the money I want to earn but I have no models to dress”…The job I was proposed to do was just to give away some ad-brochure in the street…say for just 25 euro a day » (Daniele M Family 2High SE-status) 4.4 Working while studying is a waste of time • «...let’s say that the fact ofnot doing this occasional works did not give me any trauma. At all. • Because it was not…you know a job like helping top-models to get dressed… Group 4

  19. 4.4 Working while studying is risky • «Yes it seemed to me correct that he did not work. I said “you have to think about study first”. And his father as well. I mean I think it is correct that boys and girls try to roll up their sleevesand make some works when it is necessary…butin families where it is not necessary it is better that one arrives as soon as possible to the graduationand opens his own street… • «..It is also because I have seen some of our friend’s children that with these occasional jobsthey have sort of..lost themselves»(Daniele’s Mother, M Family 2 High SE-status) Group 4

  20. Fear of downgrading in consumption standard when leaving parent’s house 4.5 Using earned money increase their level of consumption (expensive clothes, leisure activities) • «Well when she was at university.. I must say she tried to do some occasional jobs in the free time…She was talking about this just few days ago and she was recalling it as a good time of her life, on the economic side , because beside the allowance she was given, she had also this extra-income to buy something or to buy some “vices” stuff…she was saying “well….maybe it was better before than now”» (smiles) (Debora’s Mother F. Family 10  M-high SE-status). • Nostalgia of student-status… Group 4

  21. Group 5: Money as a tool for control– summarising participants’ comments. • «The weapon my parents were using on me…was money» • Mostly “money on-demand”-system. But demand are not often fulfilled. Not even for child’s health expenses • Fear of asking one parent (usually the father) for money • Children save money to pay for experience of autonomy (like: holidays) more than for objects • Children use earned money to escape from parents’ reins • Children try to escape from the gift-system and associated family obligations

  22. 5.2 “Money on-demand” system. But demand are not often fulfilled. Not even for child’s health expenses • «I hadvery twisted teeth and since I was a child at school they told me I would have to wear the teeth-brace…on the contrary my parents did not do anything about it. Now I have healed my teeth with my own money and I am veeeery happy because till 2 years ago you could not even look at me! …   Last year  I said to my parents “it was your duty! Because…if your children have a health problem you should care about it…” » (Eleonora Family 22Low SE-status)

  23. 5.4 Children save money to pay for experience of autonomy more than for objects • «I was saving money to go on holiday in the summer one week or 15 days. You see for example holiday: I have always paid myself them. Always! … rather than asking for moneythat later my father could ask and complain saying «ah! I gave you this so you have to give or say that»…I was not asking anything!» • (Emiliano, M Family 4 M-high SE-status).

  24. 5.5 Children use earned money to escape from parents’ reins • «In adolescence…for me desire of money was a desire of independence. It was not money itself that I wanted. I wanted it just to buy basic things like bus-tickets…school books…all things that parents used to “keep reins tight” on their littlekid(Enrico, M , Famiy 19, Low SE-status)

  25. 5.5 Children use earned money to escape from parents’ reins • «When I started to work in the restaurant my mum realized that I was keeping money for me and I was using it to un-hookfrom her then started real problems among us. Because she…she realized that she had lost the power on me …it was so fast…also because at that time I started to earn quite a lot in weddings and partis….so it was more ore less 1000 euro a month...which for a 18yeras old boy…I was earning almost more than my father!» (Enrico, M , Famiy 19, Low SE-status) • Bank: used to hide money from parent’s control Group 5

  26. 5.6 Children try to escape from the gift-system and associated family obligation when asked to explaining the meaning of “un-hook” • «It means that they had no more power on me. Because the weapon my parents were using on me in general was that of money – which create a psychological dominion. Sort of: “I pay for you.You are in this house. I help you in being in the world. So you own us something”. And I have never stand that “you own us something”. The only way to show that I did not own anything was eliminating slowly all the things whey were paying for me» (Enrico M Family 19 Low SE-status). Group 5

  27. Group 2: Financial literacy– summarising participants’ comments. • Children acquire the importance of economic independency and of careful and profitable money management • Parents talk openly about economic to children open bank accounts/saving accounts early for children and teach children practical skills to manage money • «I have always tried not only to save but also to make my money profitable» • Traditional representation of the transition to adulthood

  28. 2.4 Traditional representation of the transition to adulthood • «I have always been used to…you see also now my wage I manage it myself completely alone. With the first-statement that my parents have always said to me: … “try to regulate yourself: if you save now until you stay at home OK but when you decide to get married we will not be able to help you a lot…so you will find something for yourself late. If you spend all [of your money] you can not have more than a certain fixed help from house even if we would”. This is the philosophy I have been raised in»(Betti, F Family 1 Low SE status) Group 2

  29. 5. Discussion The study suggests that many Italian families still displays a very strong «familism-attitude» (see: Banfield 1976) and strong dependency-ties created by: • specifictype of intergenerational allocation of money (support more important than autonomy) • parents’ and children’s representation of the “correct” transition to adulthood • lack of alternative extra-family economic supports for young Italians (Welfare system: strong male breadwinner regime )

  30.  the process discourages children’s acquisition of economic independence from family, hence transition to adulthood • In details, if during economic socialization parents: • stress the importance of accumulating personal cultural capital (ex: good marks at school) instead of personal economic capital • get children used to style of consumption/standard of living very high • stress more their role “regulators and protectionists” than “educators” (Furnham 2001)

  31. THE END For more information: emanuela.rinaldi@unicatt.it

  32. Some useful references • Banfield E.C., (1958), The Moral Basis of a Backward Society, Glencoe, Ill, Chicago: Free Press. • Bombi A.S., Cannoni E., (2008), ‘La rappresentazione della ricchezza e della povertà’, in E. Ruspini (ed.) Educare al denaro. Socializzazione economica tra generi e generazioni, Milano: FrancoAngeli, pp. 37-64. • Burgoyne C.B., (1990), Money in marriage: How patterns of allocation both reflect and conceal power, in «The Sociological Review», 38, pp. 634-665. • Buzzi C., Cavalli A., de Lillo A., Rapporto giovani. Sesta indagine dell’Istituto IARD sulla condizione giovanile in Italia, Bologna: Il Mulino, 2007. • Cicchelli V., (1997), ‘Le logiche di scambio delle risorse familiari degli studenti universitari: fra orientamenti pedagogici e costruzione del self autonomo’, in in E. Scabini, G. Rossi (a cura di), Giovani in famiglia tra autonomia e nuove dipendenze, "Studi interdisciplinari sulla famiglia", 16, Milano: Vita e Pensiero, pp. 245-283. • Furnham A., (2001), Parental attitudes to pocket money/allowance for children, in «Journal of Economic Psychology», 22, pp. 397-422. • Godbout J.T., (1992), L'esprit du don, Paris: La Découverte. • Pahl J., (1989), Money and Marriage, London: Macmillan. • Pedrizzi T., Castrovilli E. (a cura di), (2008), Cultura economica nei licei, Milano: FrancoAngeli • Dei M., (2006), Economia e società nella cultura dei giovani, Milano: FrancoAngeli.Ruspini • Dosso C., Rosci E., (2000), Gli adolescenti e l'uso del denaro, in «Supplemento a Laboratorio IARD n.4 dicembre 2000».Pahl J., (1989), Money and Marriage, London: Macmillan. • Operto S., (2008), ‘La cicala e la formica. Dati e ricerche sulla socializzazione economica di bambini e adolescenti’, in E. Ruspini (a cura di) Educare al denaro. Socializzazione economica tra generi e generazioni, Milano: FrancoAngeli, pp. 65-87. • Paliaga P., Provenzano E., (2001), Leggere l'economia, in «Supplemento a Laboratorio IARD n.1 marzo 2001». • Rinaldi E., (2007)Giovani e denaro. Percorsi di socializzazione economica, Milano: Unicopli. • Ruspini E. (ed.), (2008), Educare al denaro. Socializzazione economica tra generi e generazioni, Milano: FrancoAngeli. • Santoro M., (2002), A casa con mamma. Storie di eterni adolescenti, Milano: Unicopli. • Webley P., Burgoyne C.B., Lea S.E.G., Young B.M., (2001), The Economic Psychology of Everyday Life, Hove, East Sussex: Psychology Press Ltd. • Zelizer V.A., (1994), The social meaning of money, New York: Basic Books.

  33. Note • Not all the slides of this .ppt file will be presented in the talk. • However we decided to include the following slides in the file available on the web-site in order to give you more information about the background the interviews the main aspects which will be developed in the forthcoming paper

  34. 3) Living independently (leaving parents’ home) 4) Getting married/cohabiting (= creation of a new couple) Transition to adulthood Social research in Italy (and conventional social representations) see the transition to adulthood in terms of 5 steps (consequential and not overlapping): 1) Completing or interrupting studies 2) Getting a paid job/independent income 5) Parenting (= generally, becoming a mother/father) Source: Buzzi, Cavalli, de Lillo (2007)

  35. Steps n. 3, 4 and 5 are becoming more and more problematic in Italy. Especially the “leaving-parent’s home” step Tab. 1 - Italy: Young people 18-34 years old who live with parents by gender and group-age (per 100 young. % value) Source: Buzzi, Cavalli, de Lillo (2007)

  36. Living conditions (young people: 19-24) Source: Buzzi, Cavalli, de Lillo (2007)

  37. More quotes from the interviews

  38. Group 4: Support and Protection – summarising participants’ comments.

  39. 4.1 I have always got what I wanted… • «No I have never had a regular pocket money…I have always asked by justifying what I needed…and I have always got what I asked without too much difficult. Apart from the scooter. Which is something that I still do not have!» (Dante, M Family 16 low SE-status). Group 4

  40. 4.2 Compensation for missing love (independently on the socio-economic status) • «My parents…well to tell the truth they have always been very nice with me. An example: as soon as I become 18years old I got a car. They have been two parents who have tried to spoil me in some ways…with the possibilities they have… You know they were working and I have always been left at home with my grandmother…so my mum had a sort “abandoning syndrome” towards me …. so as soon as she could she was filling me as a chicken with food and objects!» (Dante M Family 16  low SE-status). Group 4

  41. 4.4 Working while studying is risky • «..It is also because I have seen some of our friend’s children that with these occasional jobsthey have sort of..lost themselves. And they gave up university…so I think it is also a bit risky … His parents are really disappointed….because he works in a pub and he goes to sleep at 6 in the morning…so when can he study? From 2 to 7 pm and then back to the pub?»(Daniele’s Mother, M Family 2 High SE-status). Group 4

  42. Group 5: Money as a tool for control– summarising participants’ comments.

  43. 5.1: «The weapon my parents were using on me…was money» • Parents hold high discretionary power • «My fatherkept to educational model totally different. With me he was the personification of strictness so when I was at the university and I took a mark like 24 over 30 it was a scandal he was shouting at me like “I have never taken such a low mark! What a shame!”. Just the stick with me. With my brother it was the carrot. Maybe because he sees him as more weak. His activity with my brother was that of insisting giving more and more to my brother whatever he needed even spoiling him because my brother basically he has a car like me but it is paid by my father the insurance and the fuel is paid my father the pc was given to him as a present. (continues…) Group 5

  44. … • …Another paradigmatic example : my father has always  complained with me my balls for soccer. He has never bought me a pair of soccer sneakers or leg-protections and he never came to see me playing. … I have few things that are mine but those nobody can absolutely touch them. My father tried many times to do it but I have always rejected him. And how he doest this intrusion? with a black mail often economical saying “ah! I am going to buy you this so that you are morally obliged to do that”.. … like “I bought you a computer so now you have to pass 3 exams”… that he stills does with my brother» (Emiliano, M Family 4, M-high SE-status). Group 5

  45. 5.3 Fear of asking one parent (usually the father) for money • «Well I recriminateabout my parents not having paid my health-care expensesto my mum…not to my father…you see even if I am 33 years old I would never say some stuff to my father … On the contrary I did say it to my mum …and she suffers for this. Because according to me she understands I that I am right but…at the same time she replies “what could I do if your father…?” Yes it is true. He was sort of father-master….he was deciding everything. Maybe for his personal spending money he was spending here and there …but not for our health…he does not care at all about it…» (Eleonora, F. Family 22 Low SE-status). Group 5

  46. 5.4 Children save money (from pocket money or occasional jobs or money given by relatives for presents) to pay for experience of autonomy (like: holidays) more than for objects • «I was saving money to go on holiday in the summer one week or 15 days. You see for example holiday: I have always paid myself them. Always! Because rather than asking them 1 euro…them: no well to tell the truth my mum is a very nice person! Also my father is a nice person but my mum is very sweet….. Anyway rather than asking for moneythat later my father could ask and complain saying «ah! I gave you this so you have to give or say that»…I was not asking anything! Yet if he wanted to give me some money for holiday it was ok but I was auto-sufficient even without his help!» (Emiliano, M Family 4 M-high SE-status). Group 5

  47. Group 2: Financial literacy– summarising participants’ comments.

  48. 2.1 Children acquire the importance of economic independency and of careful and prudent? money management • Talking about the advantage of having pocket money • «You see…you have to manage the money all month long so you have to be careful ...you have all the money the first day of the month but it has to last for 30days so you can not waste everything in the first week……. She was giving me this monthly allowance proportionate to my age my mum…we were looking at my expenses,taking into consideration different expenses like underground tickets, fuel for the scooter…I do not know..I think she was giving me about 50 euro a month, but I remember I was able to make them be enough and…also to save something. Yes! … Let’s say that I had a small but important independence» (Barbara, F Family 9 M-high SE-status) Group 2

  49. 2.2 Parents open bank account early on and teachchildrenpractical skills to manage money • «I have had got a bank account…I can’t recall since when… I think since I was very young. I was getting money for Christmas and…I have always had the total management of all what I was earning or getting…I had a folder with all my papers and documents…since always!» (Betti, F Family 11 Low SE-status) Group 2

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