‘It would be weird if she left': The pleasure and pain of adult kids at home
As many as 50 per cent of 18 to 29-year-olds are living at home with their parents, according to the latest Household, Income and Labour Dynamics (HILDA) survey by Melbourne University's Melbourne Institute.
And it's not just the cost of living keeping the generations under the same roof.
Demographers claim the milestones of adulthood – graduating higher education, marrying and having children – are now happening later in life. Add to this the financial strain that comes from the rising cost of housing and you find children are entering adulthood, but staying put.
For those who have experienced the 'under my roof' lecture, the potential intergenerational tension is real.
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Mikaela Binns-Rorke, 21 lives at home board-free with her mum, Natalie Binns, and her mum's partner, Jim Shields. The young actor is responsible for keeping her room, bathroom and living area clean and tidy and she helps out on household chores whenever she can.
'I often have to remind her about this side of the arrangement,' says Binns. 'She has witnessed her friends in share housing and that has been an eye-opener for her with all the expenses; I think she knows she has it pretty good here.'
Chief executive of Relationships Australia NSW, Elisabeth Shaw, says the organisation is seeing a growing number of family groups seeking guidance around young adults living at home. She says there are ways to reduce the household tension, or eliminate it altogether.
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