What does the term clipped wing generation refer to?

What does the term clipped wing generation refer to?

• A. The generation of young adults who are unable to be independent from their parents because they cannot afford independent living costs
• B. Elders living with children
• C. Parents working
• D. Teenagers living with parents

Answer: (A)

Clipped wing generation refers to young adults who cannot become independent because financial barriers make independent living unaffordable. Their wings are metaphorically clipped by high housing costs, student debt, and relatively low wages, so they stay in the parental home longer than before. This is about the economic constraints shaping the transition to full adult independence.

Elders living with children describes a different pattern of multigenerational housing. “Parents working” is a broad dynamic, not a specific term for dependence issues tied to financial barriers. Teenagers living with parents describes younger stages of adolescence, not young adults facing the move to independence.