MYANMAR youngsters are just like everybody else in the world — they have dreams, ambitions and responsibilities. But what happens when they reach their 20s and have to face the responsibility of venturing out on their own?

Traditionally, many stay at home until they are married and can share the cost of living with their partner. Some, however, aren’t satisfied with this arrangement.

Journalist Ye Kaung, 23, says he is happy living at home with his parents but he finds it hard to do what he wants, when he wants.

“At night I often want to watch my favourite TV shows but my father prefers that I turn the television off and listen to him instead,” he explained. “He says that I need to listen to his words if I am to live under his roof. We are both stubborn and butt heads on many topics.”

Financial difficulties are one reason he won’t move out.

“I can’t afford to live on my own and even if I could, I wouldn’t want to bear the expense of living in another apartment if I can live with my parents.

“I also enjoy many advantages by living at home, such as free meals and cleaning so I have to try to get along with my parents.”

Juli, 23, nearly moved into her own apartment but changed her mind.
“I would have had to share the apartment with friends, which I didn’t want to do,” she said. “And I couldn’t afford my own living expenses. I dream of living alone when I can afford it.”

She says she finds her parent’s constant worry suffocating.
“Most of the time I can manage, but when I come home late at night after studying, my father is always wide awake waiting for me. I don’t want to bother them and, at the same time, I don’t want them bothering me.”

She also mentions the housework and the time she has to put aside in order to help her family.

“It is hard to concentrate on school work when my parents are constantly nagging me.”

It is unusual to find young people sharing the burden of rent in Myanmar, but university students are slowly starting to get used to the idea.

Myat Thar, 24, shares her living expenses with six friends and has been working for a year since finishing university.

She has been living away from her hometown in Rakhine state since she began her studies six years ago.

“I enjoy being independent but I don’t eat well-prepared meals and I have a huge pile of washing right now!

“But the best thing about living away from home is that I feel like an adult and I get to live my life the way I want to.”

Myat Thar admits she does receive some financial help from her parents, as do her roommates.

Whereas the majority of youths in the United States leave home in their late teens, in Myanmar it is usually around the age of 25.

U Julius, a father of four, lives with his two daughters — one in her 20s, the other in her 30s.

“If the income per capita is low, you would be silly to move out of home at a young age,” he says. “You cannot compare a developing country to the well-to-dos in a rich one.”

He added that family ties are strong here and it is traditional to stay together for as long as possible.

“We don’t want our children to leave the nest too soon — it’s odd to live separately and society usually doesn’t approve.”

In India these days, more and more high school graduates are moving away from home. As the economy booms they are finding it easier to be more independent, says Vivek Jain, an Indian businessman in Yangon.

“In metro areas of India the new generation is finding the confidence to live independently from their parents,” he says. “It is no longer culturally insensitive to move out at a young age. It definitely has a lot to do with the economic development.”

Daw Sane Sane says she doesn’t see the good in moving out of home. When her daughter moved out at 23 to enter the workforce, she felt she would be too vulnerable as she would no longer have anybody to look to for guidance.

“In my opinion, if a child is under the supervision of her family, she is able to make better decisions and know how to cope in difficult situations.”

Whatever the reason — financial security or guidance — it is clear that Myanmar parents do not think their young ones are ready to leave the nest before marriage, but the new generation is beginning to feel they are. As Myanmar slowly develops, will it follow in the footsteps of India or stay rooted in tradition?