It’s Debatable – A Youth Perspective

Flying The Coop: A Reality Check from Young Australians

Flying the coop. Spreading your wings. Leaving the nest.

These classic bird sayings are a way to capture the transformational significance of leaving the family home.

It’s a turning point in the lives of so many young people, representing independence, autonomy, responsibility and all the big heavy words we associate with growing up and getting on with life in the real world.

Unfortunately, this rite of passage is being delayed and distorted for far too many young people. Their wings feel clipped, the family nest is the only one available, and there’s a fierce financial gale going against them.

The 2026 Australian Census in August will reveal a lot more about the dramatic rise in young people still living at home. But some of our best indications, including the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey are hugely insightful.

In 2021, 46.7% of young women aged 18 to 29 were still living with their parents. That number climbed to 54.3% for young men.

Since then, inflation and cost of living pressure have only intensified. Young people, for better or worse, are stuck in the family home for longer and longer periods of time.

Speaking with a group of young people finishing school helped me better understand their own plans to move out.

Both young men in the group, Malek and Jude, saw themselves leaving home sometime around or before age 25. A couple years after uni, once they’ve found their feet with careers and are starting to earn proper money.

Zara is going to move out right after finishing school. While she knows it’s going to be a pain to fund, she thinks it’s essential.

“Rooming with friends, renting, student housing, I’ll figure it out” – Zara

Isla wants to get out soon as she can but admits it’s more realistic that she’ll end up leaving around age 21 or 22.

“It’s just expensive to have a place, to pay for the utility side of things, to still have fun as a student” – Isla

For the guys in the group, the love and warmth at home was a big factor. They’ve got a nice home, nice parents, a lot to stay for.

“There’s safety in home, there’s love in home, there’s food in home. Home is home.” – Malek

Still, even he admitted that given the financial freedom, he would still choose to have his own place sooner rather than later.

We enjoy a good bird metaphor for leaving home but, unfortunately, far too many young people lack the financial wind beneath their wings to ever truly make it out.

Yes, young people probably need to get better at empowering themselves. But as a community we certainly need to get a whole lot better at empowering young people.

The more we delay a milestone in adulthood, the more we delay adulthood and responsibility itself. Keep an eye out for the 2026 Census.

Far too many young people are stuck at home and that’s a real shame for all of us.

Author: Leonard Cavallaro.

Image: Unsplash