本文使用行政院主計處1998年的「台灣地區社會發展趨勢調查」資料，分析子女離開父母家庭的過程與原因，同時建立子女離家生命表。研究結果指出男性離家的主要原因為就業、結婚與另購住宅或空間不足，但因就業而離家的比率有下降的趨勢，而因另購住宅或空間不足而離家的比率則有上升的趨勢。女性離家最主要的原因為結婚，歷年均占了七成以上。就業在離家原因當中所占的比重先增後減，因求學而離家的比重大致上呈增加的趨勢。在離家的步調方面，不僅離家年齡延後，年齡別離家率也普遍降低，而且男性離家率的年齡分配從雙峰型態逐漸轉為單峰型態，女性的型態則似乎有相反的發展方向。在考慮死亡與離家雙遞減因素之後，我們計算出離家與死亡生命表，子女與父母同住的比率呈上升的趨勢，反映生育率的下跌使得兄弟姐妹人數減少，致使與老年父母同居的機會大增；對映老年人口與子女同居比率逐漸下降的趨勢，顯示老年人同居傾向與子女數量這兩個因素在代間居住安排上的拉鋸。

Using data from the 1998 Trends of Social Development Survey, this paper examines the reasons and schedules for young people leaving home between 1950 and 1997 in Taiwan. A multiple decrement approach is also employed to establish the life tables of these young people for leaving home. The results have indicated that for men, the main reasons for them to leave home are employment, marriage and limited space at home with their parents. However, less are leaving home for employment while more are doing so for the reason of limited space. For women the most important reason of moving out has always been marriage, with more than 70% doing so each year. Comparing to ,the past, for both men and women, their schedules for leaving home ,have been delayed and the age-specific occurrence rates for leaving ,home are also decreasing. It is most likely that adult children will ,continue to stay with their parents in the future.