Why the consequences of the ‘empty nest’ can be real – and serious

By Denise Turner, Professor of Social Work, University of Hertfordshire
Katie Walsh, Reader in Human Geography, University of Sussex

September is traditionally the time of year when many young people go to university or college, often leaving parents and carers facing an “empty nest”. But an empty nest doesn’t just mean a quiet home. Sometimes for the older generation there are also difficult questions about the next phase of their life.

The term “empty nest” was popularised by US author and activist Dorothy Canfield Fisher in her 1914 book Mothers and Children. It described the emotional challenges mothers experienced when their children…

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