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News.com.au
4 days ago
- General
- News.com.au
Real problem with young Aussies living at home longer
OPINION When did you have a really good chat with your kids? I mean a real conversation - screen-free, face-to-face, in the same room. Recent statistics from the Australian government's annual Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Report reveal that the nation's children are living longer with their parents than they ever have before. In 2024, just over half of young men (54 per cent) and 47 per cent of young women aged 18 to 29 years old are still living under the same roof as their parents. That's mostly a factor of a rising cost of living, falling incomes and higher property prices preventing that first home purchase. It would be reasonable to assume that this forced proximity was seeing families remain closer for longer, but it's more likely for young adults 'living at home' actually seems to mean living in their own room. They'll perhaps emerge for a meal from time to time, but if they are home rather than out and about, they're more likely to be unavailable for the rest of the family. Some of that remoteness is due to screens. They don't need to go out to socialise. If their friends are unavailable, they can still chat online, or scroll and be virtually part of the crowd, even when they are not together. We know that young people use social media as the source of information nowadays, so they are much less likely to turn to their parent for anything, even when they continue to live at home. Living at home does not guarantee the ongoing family cosiness that may be implied by the term. This can be very confusing for the parents. It used to be 'my house, my rules – if you don't like it, you can leave' – and that used to work. For a range of social reasons, though, young people are now staying at home even when they are now adults, living their own lives, making their own decisions and often in serious relationships. Parents are learning the hard way that things have to change for them as well. Their adult children and they, together, have to re-evaluate and modify their relationship, so that they can live mutually satisfying lives. The only way to sort out the relationship is to talk about it. It is so easy to make assumptions about the other, and the ideas we have about our parents, for instance, can be so wrong. We will only discover what is going to work by talking about it. Then there is the trial and error, the progress towards independence that is vital if the young adult is to live an effective life. Parents have to learn to let go. Parents have to recognise when the nest is empty, even when it is blatantly still full. Parents have to change their own lives to ensure that meaning is found from sources other than parenting as such. Adult children are still our offspring, but we can't treat them as children. It is important that 'house rules' are no less significant in the family home than they are in share houses. Different models of contribution to the upkeep of the home, in terms of cleaning, buying food, cooking, eating together or apart, paying for utilities and even sometimes paying some rent, need to be discussed. Just as the kids don't owe the parents anything, just because they are the parents, the parents do not have to continue to care for children still living at home in the way they once did. Lack of financial ability to move out should not mean the young adult is infantilised. The changes need to be discussed in anticipation of the choices people make. There are some parents who need the children to leave home, in order to downsize and get on with the next stage of their own lives. Discuss. There are parents who love having the kids around, because it adds connection and joy to their own lives. Discuss. There are some parents who want things to remain as they always were – my house, my rules. Discuss. The hardest part may be getting the young person out of their room, off their screens, to have the first conversation. It is easier, of course, if there has always been conversation. Then it can flow naturally. However, for most of us, there have been expectations and when they are not met, that's when conversation is vital. When there is open conversation, there is less chance of resentment and the chance of finding the great joy of making a new adult relationship with the young people whom you have helped shape into independent, effective, adults - even as they continue to live under your roof. Amanda Gordon AM Hon FAPS is one of Australia's most respected clinical psychologists. Past President of the Australian Psychological Society, she has a private practice in Sydney, where she has helped hundreds of people.


Otago Daily Times
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Australia's rainbow population rising after 'burst of acceptance'
Australians are becoming more comfortable identifying as lesbian, gay or bisexual, and experts are likening it to the sexual revolution of previous decades. Researchers at Charles Darwin University estimated Australia's LGBTQI population doubled between 2012 and 2020, increasing from 3.3 per cent to 5.8 per cent of adults over 15. The data came from the HILDA longitudinal survey of 17,000 Australians with responses from participants who identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual or another sexual identity. The data was collected in 2012, 2016 and 2020. During this time period there was a "burst of acceptance" of sexual minorities in Australia, particularly after the 2017 same-sex marriage vote, lead researcher Fiona Shalley told AAP. "Being a minority sexual identity and engaging in that used to be criminal, but Australia has come a long way," she said. "There was also stigma and discrimination associated with being a sexual minority so a lot of people did not disclose their identity until more recently." If the young adults who participated in the study maintained their sexual minority identities throughout their life, Australia's LGBTQI population could grow by about three percent each year. By the time the next data is updated from 2024, the population size could be about 1.7 million people, Ms Shalley said. "If you think about the sexual revolution of the 1960s and 70s, it was in response to changes in behaviours and social attitudes," she said. "This boom in population could also be in response to changing attitudes around sexual behaviours." While Australia's LGBTQI demographic has been a hidden group with little national data capturing the population, researchers hope to change that. The Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2024 estimated 4.5 per cent - or about one in 20 - Australians aged 16 and over were LGBTI+, based on combined data from multiple household surveys. A new category of sexual orientation and gender will be included in the 2026 census questions for the first time. "We still don't know enough about (the LGBTQI demographic) to understand how the population will grow in the future, but we are certainly noticing them now," Ms Shalley said. "The growing confidence of people identifying as LGB+ is likely influenced by the number of visible positive role models, social media attention, and in our storytelling."


The Advertiser
17-06-2025
- Politics
- The Advertiser
LGBTQI population rising after 'burst of acceptance'
Australians are becoming more comfortable identifying as lesbian, gay or bisexual with experts likening it to the sexual revolution of previous decades. Researchers at Charles Darwin University estimated Australia's LGBTQI population doubled between 2012 and 2020, increasing from 3.3 per cent to 5.8 per cent of adults over 15. The data came from the HILDA longitudinal survey of 17,000 Australians with responses from participants who identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual or another sexual identity. The data was collected in 2012, 2016 and 2020. During this time period there was a "burst of acceptance" of sexual minorities in Australia, particularly after the 2017 same-sex marriage vote, lead researcher Fiona Shalley told AAP. "Being a minority sexual identity and engaging in that used to be criminal, but Australia has come a long way," she said. "There was also stigma and discrimination associated with being a sexual minority so a lot of people did not disclose their identity until more recently." If the young adults who participated in the study maintained their sexual minority identities throughout their life, Australia's LGBTQI population could grow by about three per cent each year. By the time the next data is updated from 2024, the population size could be about 1.7 million people, Ms Shalley said. "If you think about the sexual revolution of the 1960s and 70s, it was in response to changes in behaviours and social attitudes," she said. "This boom in population could also be in response to changing attitudes around sexual behaviours." While Australia's LGBTQI demographic has been a hidden group with little national data capturing the population, researchers hope to change that. The Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2024 estimated 4.5 per cent - or about one in 20 - Australians aged 16 and over were LGBTI+, based on combined data from multiple household surveys. A new category of sexual orientation and gender will be included in the 2026 census questions for the first time. "We still don't know enough about (the LGBTQI demographic) to understand how the population will grow in the future, but we are certainly noticing them now," Ms Shalley said. "The growing confidence of people identifying as LGB+ is likely influenced by the number of visible positive role models, social media attention, and in our storytelling." Australians are becoming more comfortable identifying as lesbian, gay or bisexual with experts likening it to the sexual revolution of previous decades. Researchers at Charles Darwin University estimated Australia's LGBTQI population doubled between 2012 and 2020, increasing from 3.3 per cent to 5.8 per cent of adults over 15. The data came from the HILDA longitudinal survey of 17,000 Australians with responses from participants who identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual or another sexual identity. The data was collected in 2012, 2016 and 2020. During this time period there was a "burst of acceptance" of sexual minorities in Australia, particularly after the 2017 same-sex marriage vote, lead researcher Fiona Shalley told AAP. "Being a minority sexual identity and engaging in that used to be criminal, but Australia has come a long way," she said. "There was also stigma and discrimination associated with being a sexual minority so a lot of people did not disclose their identity until more recently." If the young adults who participated in the study maintained their sexual minority identities throughout their life, Australia's LGBTQI population could grow by about three per cent each year. By the time the next data is updated from 2024, the population size could be about 1.7 million people, Ms Shalley said. "If you think about the sexual revolution of the 1960s and 70s, it was in response to changes in behaviours and social attitudes," she said. "This boom in population could also be in response to changing attitudes around sexual behaviours." While Australia's LGBTQI demographic has been a hidden group with little national data capturing the population, researchers hope to change that. The Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2024 estimated 4.5 per cent - or about one in 20 - Australians aged 16 and over were LGBTI+, based on combined data from multiple household surveys. A new category of sexual orientation and gender will be included in the 2026 census questions for the first time. "We still don't know enough about (the LGBTQI demographic) to understand how the population will grow in the future, but we are certainly noticing them now," Ms Shalley said. "The growing confidence of people identifying as LGB+ is likely influenced by the number of visible positive role models, social media attention, and in our storytelling." Australians are becoming more comfortable identifying as lesbian, gay or bisexual with experts likening it to the sexual revolution of previous decades. Researchers at Charles Darwin University estimated Australia's LGBTQI population doubled between 2012 and 2020, increasing from 3.3 per cent to 5.8 per cent of adults over 15. The data came from the HILDA longitudinal survey of 17,000 Australians with responses from participants who identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual or another sexual identity. The data was collected in 2012, 2016 and 2020. During this time period there was a "burst of acceptance" of sexual minorities in Australia, particularly after the 2017 same-sex marriage vote, lead researcher Fiona Shalley told AAP. "Being a minority sexual identity and engaging in that used to be criminal, but Australia has come a long way," she said. "There was also stigma and discrimination associated with being a sexual minority so a lot of people did not disclose their identity until more recently." If the young adults who participated in the study maintained their sexual minority identities throughout their life, Australia's LGBTQI population could grow by about three per cent each year. By the time the next data is updated from 2024, the population size could be about 1.7 million people, Ms Shalley said. "If you think about the sexual revolution of the 1960s and 70s, it was in response to changes in behaviours and social attitudes," she said. "This boom in population could also be in response to changing attitudes around sexual behaviours." While Australia's LGBTQI demographic has been a hidden group with little national data capturing the population, researchers hope to change that. The Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2024 estimated 4.5 per cent - or about one in 20 - Australians aged 16 and over were LGBTI+, based on combined data from multiple household surveys. A new category of sexual orientation and gender will be included in the 2026 census questions for the first time. "We still don't know enough about (the LGBTQI demographic) to understand how the population will grow in the future, but we are certainly noticing them now," Ms Shalley said. "The growing confidence of people identifying as LGB+ is likely influenced by the number of visible positive role models, social media attention, and in our storytelling." Australians are becoming more comfortable identifying as lesbian, gay or bisexual with experts likening it to the sexual revolution of previous decades. Researchers at Charles Darwin University estimated Australia's LGBTQI population doubled between 2012 and 2020, increasing from 3.3 per cent to 5.8 per cent of adults over 15. The data came from the HILDA longitudinal survey of 17,000 Australians with responses from participants who identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual or another sexual identity. The data was collected in 2012, 2016 and 2020. During this time period there was a "burst of acceptance" of sexual minorities in Australia, particularly after the 2017 same-sex marriage vote, lead researcher Fiona Shalley told AAP. "Being a minority sexual identity and engaging in that used to be criminal, but Australia has come a long way," she said. "There was also stigma and discrimination associated with being a sexual minority so a lot of people did not disclose their identity until more recently." If the young adults who participated in the study maintained their sexual minority identities throughout their life, Australia's LGBTQI population could grow by about three per cent each year. By the time the next data is updated from 2024, the population size could be about 1.7 million people, Ms Shalley said. "If you think about the sexual revolution of the 1960s and 70s, it was in response to changes in behaviours and social attitudes," she said. "This boom in population could also be in response to changing attitudes around sexual behaviours." While Australia's LGBTQI demographic has been a hidden group with little national data capturing the population, researchers hope to change that. The Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2024 estimated 4.5 per cent - or about one in 20 - Australians aged 16 and over were LGBTI+, based on combined data from multiple household surveys. A new category of sexual orientation and gender will be included in the 2026 census questions for the first time. "We still don't know enough about (the LGBTQI demographic) to understand how the population will grow in the future, but we are certainly noticing them now," Ms Shalley said. "The growing confidence of people identifying as LGB+ is likely influenced by the number of visible positive role models, social media attention, and in our storytelling."


Daily Mail
12-06-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Number of Australias who identify as gay, bi or trans doubles
The number of Australians who identify as LGBTQ+ has doubled in the past eight years, new research shows. The research led by Charles Darwin University found the LGB+ population of Australia doubled between 2012 and 2020, increasing from 3.3 per cent of adults over the age of 15 to 5.8 per cent. The study looked at answers from people who identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual or another sexuality in the HILDA longitudinal survey of 17,000 Australians to estimate the size and growth of the LGBTQ + population at three time points – 2012, 2016, 2020. Research associate Fiona Shalley said that after the 2017 same-sex marriage vote, more Australians began accepting people from sexual minority group. 'Australia's LGB+ demographic is a relatively hidden population group,' she said. 'We still don't enough about them to understand how the population will grow in the future – but we are certainly noticing them now. 'The growing confidence of people identifying as LGB+ is likely influenced by the number of visible positive role models, social media attention, and in our storytelling. She said the trend could signal a 'second sexual revolution' in Australia. 'If you think about the 60s and the 70s and the big revolution of sexual freedom then, maybe it's happening again.' The research also found that the largest increase within the LGBQ+ population came from young women identifying as bisexual. 'There is lots of evidence that women's patterns of attraction and behaviour are more likely to change over time than men's, so we cannot be certain they will continue to choose the same sexual identity in the future, or even remain part of the sexual minority population as it is now described.' Ms Shalley said Australia's LGB+ population could increase by about 3 per cent each year. 'If the growth trend identified in the data used by this research continues, we could see an adult LGB+ population size of about 1.7million people once the next data is updated from 2024 -that's an even bigger jump,' she said. Ms Shalley said the 2026 Australian Census will be the first to include questions about sexual orientation, providing a more accurate count of the nation's queer population than the smaller sample used in her research.

Sydney Morning Herald
03-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘It would be weird if she left': The pleasure and pain of adult kids at home
'It will take a stick of dynamite to get me out of my parent's house,' Matthew McConaughey famously says in the 2006 film, Failure to Launch. And while his man-child character was played for laughs, staying in the family home long into adulthood is no longer a far-fetched Hollywood plot. 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. Loading 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.