Young women are going through the rites of passage to adulthood at a faster rate than men, according to a study released Tuesday by Statistics Canada.

Examining the 18- to 34-year-old population, the study shows women are more likely to leave home, marry and have children at a younger age than men. But men are more likely to finish their schooling and enter full-time employment in their mid-20s.

Both male and female youth, however, are staying in their parents' homes longer than 30 years ago.

Comparing statistics from 1971 to 2001, Statistics Canada found grown children are taking longer to achieve their independence. They are leaving school later, staying home longer, postponing entering the labour market and not as readily marrying and having their own children.

A 25-year-old in 2001 had gone through about the same number of transitions as a 22-year-old in 1971, according to the study. A 30-year-old in 2001 has stepped into adulthood to about the same point as a 25-year-old would have in the earlier generation.

Three-quarters of young adults had left school by the time they reached 22 according to the 1971 statistics; nearly half were married and one in four had children. But in 2001, half of all the 22-year-olds in the study were still in school, one in five was living with a partner and one in 11 had children.

In 2001, 60 per cent of men and 73 per cent of women aged 25 were no longer living with their parents. In 1971, 78 per cent of men and 89 per cent of women had left home by 25.

After the youth do leave home, they are more likely to be living alone and maintaining that lifestyle for a longer period of time. In 2001, approximately 13 per cent of men lived alone between ages 28 and 34, while women peaked at nine per cent at age 27.

More young people finishing higher education

The most pronounced difference between the generations was the completion of higher education. The percentage of young women who were university educated by age 34 rose from seven per cent in 1971 to 29 per cent in 2001. The percentage of university-educated men also rose, from 13 per cent in 1971 to 25 per cent in 2001.

The youth in 2001 were also much more likely to complete master's and doctoral programs, says Statistics Canada.

The shift in attention to higher education helps explain the delays in marriage and parenthood, says the report.

Approximately 6.7 million young adults between ages 18 and 34 resided in Canada in 2001. About 41 per cent of them were under 25.