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Citizens stroll around Albert Park Lake in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, on July 12, 2020. / EPA, Yonhap

As an increasing number of adults in Australia are unable to leave their parents' homes due to financial pressures stemming from skyrocketing housing costs and related factors, the resulting domestic friction alongside financial and psychological strains is emerging as a new social issue.

Australia's SBS News reported as such on the 20th, noting that calls among middle-aged Australians supporting adult children to enjoy their personal lives are spreading.

Carmen (pseudonym), who lives with her 18-year-old daughter in a Sydney apartment, eagerly awaits her daughter's independence. "When she was young, parenting was a great joy, but now I feel like a maid," she confessed, adding, "As I entered middle age, I realized I did not want to spend the remainder of my life endlessly making sacrifices."

Amanda (pseudonym) from Brisbane likewise lamented, "My entire adult life was a tightrope walk between my children and my career. Now, I want to have time completely to myself with my partner without being disturbed by the kids."

In reality, the timing of independence among youth is trending increasingly later. According to a report released in August by the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS), roughly 77% of Australians aged 19 to 20 and approximately 48% of those aged 23 to 24 still reside with their parents, with about 85% of them answering that they do not move out due to housing cost burdens.

Regarding this trend, sociologist Mark McCrindle analyzed that extended schooling, rising ages for employment and marriage, and the easing of social stigma surrounding so-called "kangaroo families" have combined to cause an "institutionalization of adolescence." In essence, the period of dependent and deferred adolescent life is stretching longer.

Professor Roger Wilkins of the Department of Economics at the University of Melbourne, co-director of the annual Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey, advised that there are also positive aspects to this phenomenon.

He said, "There are those who cherish living under one roof with their adult children," adding, "Co-living firmly protects the most important bond called family during the period when children are seeking to step into the next stage of adulthood."

The problem is that this prolonged cohabitation can spill over into familial conflict and financial pressure. Because their children cannot become independent, middle-aged Australians are unable to downsize their homes to save on living expenses, forcing them to postpone downsizing plans.

Elisabeth Shaw, CEO of Relationships Australia NSW, emphasized, "Because of the sense of responsibility that good parents must shelter their adult children until the very end, many avoid conversation and let resentment and bitterness build up." She stressed, "Pushing adult children out of the nest is not something to feel guilty about; rather, it is part of healthy parenting that helps children achieve complete self-reliance."

                                                                                                             Lee Dae-won