There are lots of nasty things being said about Shannon Beveridge today. That’s probably because the 27 year old trainee commercial pilot, who still lives at home with mum in Pakenham, Victoria has got what most would consider a pretty sweet deal. Not only does Beveridge live at home rent free, mum Cindy, picks up the tab for bills and food.

I've saved $5 in the time it took to take this photo. Photo: Herald Sun

Sounds like a bit of a holiday doesn’t it? No planning or organising or being responsible for anything probably means life at home just hums along. Or does it? Because when you take things like privacy, independence and the power to call all your own shots out of the equation, is not having to clean the toilet really all that good?

The Punch spoke to two men in their late twenties, who are also living at home, to find out.

First up, is 29 nine year old Carl Seville who lives at home with his mum and fiancé in Maroubra. Seville, who has never left home, said he and his fiancé are planning to move out in March, once they’ve saved a “sizeable” deposit and paid for their upcoming October wedding. In the meantime, they’ve been saving around $600 a week, and accrued most of their own furniture.

Unlike Beveridge, Seville and his fiancé have to pay for their own food, cook their own meals and do their own chores. Seville told The Punch while his mother has given her full blessing for them to share a house, they’re living there purely for financial reasons:

“I look at things like this; although I have a steady job, I’m at home right now because I want to be there in order to save. It serves me a purpose. My mother is even happy with that as she knows why we are there. My fiancé is a hair dresser & I’m in hospitality sales. We both work long hours and take care of our selves. Although we are at home, we are not leaching off anyone. We are always doing things for our selves and pulling our weight.”

Living at home also serves a purpose for another 28 year old man, who did not wish to be named in this story. Let’s just call him Mr NSW. Like Seville, Mr NSW has also never left home. He works on a voluntarily basis in the disability sector and studies part time at TAFE.

Living at home has meant Mr NSW has been able to save ten thousand dollars in the past 12 months, money he is using to travel at the end of the year. He said the only downside to living at home is the lack of social life: “That can be hard, but I still see my mates, we just end up playing basketball or heading to the Café, to keep costs down.”

Both men feel grateful for the opportunity to live at home, but hope it will not be forever. They’re also united in the idea that cost of living pressures mean their way of life will become increasingly common. Mr Seville blames the sky-rocketing property market, while Mr NSW blames a lack of jobs that require endless tertiary qualifications.

All of this makes it pretty clear that it’d be unfair to paint Shannon Beveridge as a bit of a bludger with no prospects. If anything staying at home is clearly a sensible option, if you’re up for it.

The only question I’m left with is what about all the girls in this age group. Or is living at home well into your twenties just more of a bloke thing?

Follow me on Twitter: @lucyjk

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92 comments

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    • JT says:

      03:02pm | 14/08/12

      First thought, they look like husband and wife. She looks good for her age and he looks horrible for his.

    • Colin says:

      03:43pm | 14/08/12

      Which one is he..?

    • M says:

      03:03pm | 14/08/12

      “Both men feel grateful for the opportunity to live at home, and hope it will not be forever. They’re also united in the idea that cost of living pressures mean their way of life will become increasingly common. Mr Seville blames the sky-rocketing property market, while Mr NSW blames a lack of jobs that require endless tertiary qualifications. “

      I reckon this has more to do with any of it than any mummy issues.

    • amy says:

      03:05pm | 14/08/12

      thease days there is a money issue….

      ....I couldnt stand living at home though…I want room to breath and not be under the watchful eye of my parents 24/7

      Its not so much the living at home thing that would be a turn off…but more if he;s the kind of guy who still gets looked after by mummy and if she’s the kind of “moth in law hell” charachter

      reminds me of a show where mums were looking for potential partners for their sons…that kind of mother/son is somthing Id absolutly loathe

      as in

      1. for the mum- stop being a controlling witch
      2. for the guy- grow a pair and don’t let mum run your life for you

    • John says:

      03:31pm | 14/08/12

      I’m sure you want to run the guys life instead. Stay at home with mum, because there are heaps of female predators out there looking for a victim for their own selfish reasons. Men are basically like female bag accessories, easily replaced and an easy way to fuel her materialistic addictions. Bottom line men are simply hand bags with a lot of financial credit to be taken from it. That’s the sad truth men don’t seem to get.

    • amy says:

      03:51pm | 14/08/12

      huh..what?

      I think its trying to talk but all I can hear is gibberish

    • Jack says:

      03:53pm | 14/08/12

      Do you have some kind of MRE subreddit where I can read more about these predatory females and/or Ladder Theory? I would like to learn the sacred art of responding to someone’s internet post with an unrelated rant and an attack on their character based on my own sad preconceptions about women.

      Bitter, and then some.

    • Colin says:

      03:57pm | 14/08/12

      @John 03:31pm | 14/08/12
      “...Bottom line men are simply hand bags with a lot of financial credit to be taken from it. That’s the sad truth men don’t seem to get….”

      Jeez. Bitter much?

    • George says:

      04:15pm | 14/08/12

      “Looked after”? Doing a bit of washing, ironing, and cooking and paying a few bills? When did this sort of thing deserve a nobel prize or become the equivalent of being a brain surgeon? Seems to me this is how stupid people give themselves some self esteem because they’re incapable of doing anything truly difficult.

      His mum could be just nice and normal. Like most people. She looks like it.

    • Drama Queen says:

      04:42pm | 14/08/12

      I bet John’s a hoot in a relationship ...

      Disfunctional much ?

    • GigaStar says:

      04:46pm | 14/08/12

      Awwhhh little Johnny stays at home so his mummy can protect him from all those big, bad, nasty women.

    • Laura says:

      05:10pm | 14/08/12

      I think John has Mummy issues and no woman will ever compare…

      John, please continue to hate women, we really don’t want you to breed.

    • John says:

      05:13pm | 14/08/12

      It’s not bitterness, it’s my assessment. I’m not stating all are like this, but the majority are. The male intentions of a relationship is nearly all sincere, but a woman’s is not entirely sincere. The majority of women either know what they are doing or just self deceiving themselves.

      For the women a male is always something that needs to be on her side, this why there are countless boyfriends and husbands. For a man it’s either someone special or nobody at all. Women also want to maintain a social status, men want to live in caves. This why women will go after men with status and power, as it then becomes her image also. The materialistic nature, selfish and narcissistic attitude of women implies that women have not evolved spiritually evolved yet.

    • Rose says:

      07:25pm | 14/08/12

      I don’t know anything about you John except that you seriously need to get out more, you clearly have no idea how people in the real world work!

    • acotrel says:

      07:50am | 15/08/12

      @John
      ’ Bottom line men are simply hand bags with a lot of financial credit to be taken from it. That’s the sad truth men don’t seem to get. ‘

      Most of us do it for sex, but a lot of us know when the exploitation is over the top.  Like when it is time for the kids to grow up and make their way in the world, but they stay at home.  When I got married, that was NOT part of the deal ! I did not get married to bring up bludgers. My responsibility ended when they became educated well-rounded adults, as capable of making their way in the world as I am.
      And what about the kids who stay at home, save up and go overseas on holiday ?  Whose holiday are they having ?

    • Daemon says:

      08:56am | 15/08/12

      @John - welcome back Erick. Great to see you again.

    • Baloo says:

      03:13pm | 14/08/12

      I’m pretty sure this is not just a male thing, I’ve heard of plenty of women who are in their late 20s and early 30s who still live at home.
      Anyway, I can’t see how saving money can outweigh the freedom you get from moving out.

    • Jack says:

      03:36pm | 14/08/12

      That’s what happens when you ingrain kids with battler logic like ‘rent money is dead money’. They think they have to spend half a million dollars on a 1br dogbox before they leave home.

    • Baloo says:

      03:49pm | 14/08/12

      Well it didn’t work on me, being 20 and renting..
      Or just about anybody I know my age.

    • Markus says:

      04:00pm | 14/08/12

      @Jack, glad I’m not the only one who doesn’t see a whole lot of freedom in signing up to a mortgage you will unable to pay off for 40+ years.

    • M says:

      04:17pm | 14/08/12

      I was told rent money is dead money too, Was still out at 19.

      That said, with prices the way they are, I can see why some would stay back a few years to put a deposit together.

    • Elphaba says:

      04:28pm | 14/08/12

      @Jack, well said. It’s not dead money if it’s a roof over your head.  I certainly won’t complain about being warm and dry at night, even if it’s swallowing a large chunk of my pay.

    • AdamC says:

      03:19pm | 14/08/12

      I never really took to share-housing, so I moved back in with my folks for a while in my mid-twenties to save up for a deposit on a place. Living at home may be a bit uncool but, provided it works for those involved, what is the problem? The living at home wars is like an under-30 version of the vapid ‘mummy wars’ we keep hearing so much about. Why is everyone so keen to judge?

    • Chris L says:

      04:16pm | 14/08/12

      “Why is everyone so keen to judge?” - for the endorphins.

    • Bitten says:

      09:18pm | 14/08/12

      “Why is everyone so keen to judge?” - for the endorphins

      Snap. And then some.

    • TracyH says:

      09:58am | 15/08/12

      Interesting comment about house sharing…the thing is, many people don’t realise that staying with their parents is a house sharing nightmare too…for the parents smile.

      Overall, though…I don’t think it’s a bad thing if the young ones actually appreciate the opportunity, and not treat it as some sort of expectation.

    • John says:

      03:19pm | 14/08/12

      You have to be pretty reckless to leave home in this financial state.
      The mass majority of people will have trouble saving money while they rent, this means they will live in perpetual stress and perpetual renting for the rest of their lives filling the coffer’s of the more financially wise. Avoid renting at all costs if you can. Save your money also, if you don’t, you will have no future but be a slave in this capitalistic gulag slave camp.

    • hermano says:

      03:19pm | 14/08/12

      Mr NSW works on a voluntary basis, studies part-time, and has saved $10k in a year?  Homeboy could get a gig as a financial advisor with fiscal skills like that.

      Nothing wrong with living at home for a bit.  My wife and I did a few months with my parents while waiting to buy a house: saved a bit of extra cash because of bill sharing and got to spend time with my folks, which was great. 
      But to think of being in your late 20s and having never lived on your own and learned a bit of independence?  Sounds like a real catch for someone out there…

    • CJ Johnson says:

      09:53am | 15/08/12

      Not necessarily. It’s possible he has a part time job somewhere, as well as volunteering.

      I work 20 hours a week part-time (sometimes more, depending on how shifts work out). If you consider that 20 hours is only about 3 full-days work, it’s possible that he works three days, goes to tafe one or two days, and volunteers for two days. Or any combination of the three.

      In a year of what I work, I make anywhere between 25-30 thousand dollars (again, depending on how many casual hours or public holidays I work). 10 grand is easily saved in a year, if you’re careful with how you spend your money.

    • Ally says:

      03:20pm | 14/08/12

      I think there’s two parts to this. One is living at home to save money. Considering the cost of housing, if your parents are fine with it I see no problem with someone staying at home a bit longer to build up their savings. Hell, I did it. Better that then moving out too soon and ending up back at home any way beceause you’ve hit financial problems.

      But then the second part is the fact that the guy getting slammed pays for nothing and does nothing around the house. This is just setting him up for failure if he ever does move out.

      I used to work with a woman with a son in his early twenties. He has a full-time job, but doesn’t give his parents any money. He has his washing and ironing done for him, his meals made for him and his bedroom cleaned. He also doesn’t have a license and gets ferried to work and to meet his mates. When his parents went away on holiday, a relative had to come and stay to look after him. I can’t see him ever moving out, unless he can find a woman that will pander to him like his mum does.

    • n_dude says:

      04:07pm | 14/08/12

      Sounds a lot like my sister….

    • Swingdog says:

      04:08pm | 14/08/12

      He’s called an Italian.

    • acotrel says:

      07:40am | 15/08/12

      ‘Considering the cost of housing, if your parents are fine with it I see no problem with someone staying at home a bit longer to build up their savings.’

      I think it is hilarious, but I’m not picking up the tab !  Nice work if you can get it !  When you’ve saved up your deposit you can put it down on a house and get assistance from C*ntlink !  What do the aborigines do?  Do they stay at home with Mumsie, and Daddy-poo ?
      Ever heard of working for a living ?  If you don’t like the house prices, move to a country town.

    • M says:

      08:09am | 15/08/12

      Not everyone is employable in a country town.

    • Daemon says:

      09:52am | 15/08/12

      Actually he doesn’t want another woman in his life. He wants a man. That may be interesting if it eventuates.

    • Meh says:

      03:23pm | 14/08/12

      Shannon Beveridge is a bludger. It is not that he is living at home while studying, that is perfectly understandable. It is that he has no interest in getting a part time job so he can pay for at least some of his upkeep. He feels no shame in having his mum support him completely and do everything for him even though he is 28 and able bodied.

      He deserves the lashings he is getting, I would never want to hire a person with such a low work ethic.

    • Elphaba says:

      03:29pm | 14/08/12

      I already said basically everything on this in the Open Thread, but I just wanted to reiterate something:

      It’s one thing to live at home and be a functioning member of that household - ie, pay your own share of the utilities, purchase food for the house, pay for petrol in the car, pull weeds in the garden, do housework, cook, clean, wash etc etc.  If my parents lived near me and I had the option of paying a greatly reduced board in exchange for doing their domestic chores for them, with the promise of having a tidy little house deposit saved at the end of 18 months, I would seriously consider it.  Not sure I could get to ‘yes’, but I’d think about it.

      As I said, I invite him to correct me.  But the fact that his own mother said he should probably move out kinda speaks volumes, doesn’t it?  She wants him to have his own life, but doesn’t at the same time.  No wonder the poor bloke is confused.

      I don’t believe I said he has ‘no prospects’.  I simply question the character of a man who happily lets his mother provide all his needs at 27.  I don’t think questioning this is unfair, or nasty.  It’s valid.  Your examples don’t help me to understand - both these men have vastly different stories to Shannon.  If Shannon believes that he and a girlfriend can provide themselves a home, why can’t he and a few mates do the same thing?

    • Richard says:

      03:29pm | 14/08/12

      Generation Y males have been seriously short-changed. Ever since 1980, girls have been favoured over boys both in school and in the work-place. Given two applicants for the one job, a male applicant and a female applicant, the female will get the job 9 times out of 10. Women have it much easier than men in the jobs market, and part of this es because many more young men than women were failed by the education system, which is geared towards girls.

      For average Gen Y males, its a really tough tough world. Women are hypergamous, so they are biologically programmed to seek out males of higher status to mate with. But because of feminism, women are now earning equal to if not more than men in the work force. Thus an entire generation of males are being spurned.

      (Men’s and women’s motivations in the sexual market place are different: men value youth and beauty, women value wealth and status. By depriving [the majority of] Gen Y males of the chance to start acquiring more wealth and status in their 20’s relative to women, western mainstream feminist society have caused a despicable disruption in the sexual marketplace.)

      The result of this will be more Anders Brevik/James Holmes style massacres by frustrated beta boys with no clue how to succeed in a world stacked against them. Of course, I blame feminism for this state of affairs, but I could be wrong. I do hope someone is able to rationally debate with me about this.

    • amy says:

      03:53pm | 14/08/12

      you know the whole “only want equality when it suits them” thing?

      that applies to the white man more often I think

      its a tough world for everyone

      and brevik was motivated by insanity and his “belifes”

    • Jack says:

      03:58pm | 14/08/12

      That certainly explains why the workforce is 90% women. Genius.

      Your rant about betas, HSMs and other lame PUA/MRE trash is both heartwarming and hilarious.  And trying to link this to a massacre by a racist paranoid douchebag as if he were running around the island screaming TAKE THAT, HB9! because of ‘feminism’ was pure class.

      You just got negged, son.

    • George says:

      04:10pm | 14/08/12

      I agree political correctness makes life a lot harder for males these days.

      However it is mainly the property bubble. High house prices propped up by the government by First Home Vendor’s Grants and Boosts, stamp duty exemptions, too much immigration(about 250k per year), very loose FIRB laws which allow rich Chinese to buy our property and property owners(nimbys) preventing development at the council level.

      And yeah, add to that if you do manage to get it together you could lose the lot in a flash thanks to divorce laws favouring women.

      The best party to vote for to fix this corrupt mess is the Stable Population Party. They don’t plan to do anything about PC but they will reduce immigration to a more sensible 80k per year or so.

    • Swingdog says:

      04:11pm | 14/08/12

      From girls doing better at school to a Norwegian massacre - that’s some bow you’re drawing there.

    • Slothy says:

      04:14pm | 14/08/12

      Yes Richard. We’re lining up to rationally debate how feminism caused Anders Brevik to murder 76 teenagers.

      Troll harder.

    • M says:

      04:16pm | 14/08/12

      Amy, Jack,  you haven’t addressed any of his arguments.

      Brevik isn’t insane either. Misguided maybe, but insanity means something particular in a courtroom.

    • M says:

      04:31pm | 14/08/12

      Or, we could get off our asses and…

      Yeah, let’s cast lost votes at another one issue party that’ll never be taken seriously.

    • Rose says:

      04:55pm | 14/08/12

      The only men who are struggling because women are now firmly ensconced in the workplace are those who would have struggled in a male dominated workplace anyway.They are the people sitting on their arse blaming every one else for their inability to climb the ranks instead of taking a good look at themselves, sorting out their work ethic and working toward qualifications needed to move forward.
      Boys struggling at school is also not because girls are doing better, it is because not enough men chose to be teachers (not enough pay and not respected enough as professionals) and also because boys are often reluctant to appear nerdy and uncool, among probably a dozen other reasons.
      Feminism is not to blame for your problems Richard, YOU ARE!!

    • Jack says:

      05:18pm | 14/08/12

      He didn’t have a point to address. He had a bunch of baseless assertions.

      * for an undefined job with undefined criteria with only two applicants, women will get it 90% of the time. 
      * women are ‘hypergamous’ because the internet said so
      * men value youth and beauty, women value wealth and status
      * gen y males cant get a job because women took 90% of them and therefore they can’t get a girlfriend because feminism
      * not being able to get a girlfriend leads to politically motivated spree killings

      I think I gave his ‘points’ all the respect and examination they deserved.

    • PsychoHyena says:

      09:30pm | 14/08/12

      @Rose, actually the main reason for there being a shortage of male teachers is the increased risk of a student taking offence over poor marks or they get into more trouble or whatever and turning around and accusing said male teacher of any number of improprieties which permanently damages the career prospects of the male teacher regardless of the results of the resulting investigation.

      Why run that risk when you could go into another field and not face those issues?

    • Richard says:

      10:24am | 15/08/12

      I would like to address your run down of my points one by one, and provide evidence to show you where I am coming from:

      I didn’t say 90% of the workforce are women, I said that for Gen Y (and only Gen Y), women are favoured over men in the workplace. (The “9 times out of 10” bit was hyperbole, I didn’t think that needed to be explained).

      This report here concurs: https://www.amp.com.au/wps/amp/au/FileProxy?vigurl=/vgn-ext-templating/fileMetadataInterface?ids=abdef5e65e8c2210VgnVCM10000083d20d0aRCRD

      It states: “According to the statistics, it(...‘s) a dream run for Gen Y women. They are better qualified than their male counterparts. Forty-six per cent have post-school qualifications compared to 42 per cent of male Gen Ys and they also enjoy higher employment rates.”

      Further down: “Gen Y ”post-feminist” generation of women are now doing better than their male peers….. the unemployment rate of Gen Y men is today higher than that of Gen Y women.”

      “27 per cent of employed Gen Y women occupied jobs as professionals or associate professionals. In contrast, only 20 per cent of employed Gen Y men (a)re professionals or associate professionals.”

      Young men have been stripped of opportunities in the modern economy. Most of the jobs for low educated men have been out-sourced to Asia, whilst most of the jobs for high educated men are being snapped up by women (who have more qualifications because the school system is geared in their favour). Of course, I’m speaking in generalisations here, because I take a broad view of social phenomenons, which is a valuable perspective to consider.

      The fact that men are struggling to gain well-paid employment feeds directly into my next point about women being biologically programmed to seek out mates with greater ability to provide for them and their potential family together.

      That women are hypergamous is a straight fact that’s provable by even the smallest amount of observation. I don’t know how you can argue against the fact that men are attracted to youth and beauty in women, while women are attracted to wealth and status in men. If you have any doubt about it at all, please read this freakonomics blogpost: http://www.freakonomics.com/2007/10/09/the-economics-of-gold-digging/

    • Rose says:

      11:12am | 15/08/12

      So Richard you don’t entertain the thought at all that these men couldn’t develop or maintain relationships with women because they were disturbed men. I’d say the women who rejected these men dodged a bullet, maybe even literally!
      As for your other stuff, men still generally out earn women so maybe you need to re-think your whole argument. There are jobs that tend to be male dominated and others that tend to be female dominated, that’s life. And I think you’ll find that a lot of men are just as selective about the financial and other future prospects of women as women are, and for good reason. People generally don’t want to be the only partner bringing something to the table and quite frankly, if some one gets themselves mixed up with a leech, in a lot of cases it’s because they couldn’t think past sex or other superficialities and they quite possibly got exactly what they paid for!
      Men aren’t getting ripped off, it’s just that women are no longer allowing themselves to be ripped off. Men are losing their privileged status and are having to finally play on more even ground with women. For some, like yourself, it will take a while to sort out this new social structure, but if you stop looking at it from a woe is me perspective I’m sure you’ll get there!

    • Shane From Melbourne says:

      03:38pm | 14/08/12

      In European and Asian countries, it is common for extended families to live together. The elderly mind the children and do some housework while the parents work. It is only because Australia follows the nuclear family model of America that this appears bizarre…..

    • Markus says:

      03:50pm | 14/08/12

      “The only question I’m left with is what about all the girls in this age group. Or is living at home well into your twenties just more of a bloke thing?”

      No, just being scrutinised for it. Nobody thinks twice these days about a girl who lives at home with her parents, doesn’t pay rent and has zero cooking/cleaning ability.

    • M says:

      04:19pm | 14/08/12

      She’s empowered.

    • Tim says:

      04:34pm | 14/08/12

      You forgot the credit card debt.

    • amy says:

      05:06pm | 14/08/12

      @M

      how exacttly is she empowered?

      no money

      lives at home

      doesnt sound empored to me….don’t make up BS

    • Rose says:

      05:09pm | 14/08/12

      I have three kids who have let school and still live at home. We made a deal, they can live home as long as they like but they pay their way, do their own washing etc and the live here as adults, not kids. That means that they aren’t allowed to treat me and their dad as a doormat, we have our own lives and we’re not about to give up what we want to do to look after them.
      So far so good, they all plan on staying home for a year or two more at least, they are all saving and e get along just fine. We mind our own business and they mind theirs.
      One thing remains the same as when they were kids though, the house belongs to me and their dad, ultimately what we say goes smile

    • ByStealth says:

      05:16pm | 14/08/12

      There’s different gender standards for independance. Women under 30 earn more than men now thanks to the push for ‘equality’ in employment and education. Despite this, no one bats an eye if they freeload with their folks.

      Man at home with parents: Loser deadbeat manchild
      Woman at home with parents: Financially savvy investor

      How many tropes like this do we need to see before cultural values shift and women are judged as harshly as men for failing to live up to their civil responsibilities?

    • laura says:

      05:22pm | 14/08/12

      I moved out to go to uni at 17, lived in share houses for the first 7 years of freedom and then on my own in a flat.

      One thing I have found in the multiple share houses that I lived in is that you have to push the guys to do their share. They are fine at paying bills, but (generally not all the time) when it comes to domestic chores like doing the dishes or cleaning the bathroom it is generally harder to get them motivated than other females. Perhaps laziness is one of the reasons they gravitate towards home.

      Men, however are generally less anal and more fun to live with.

    • Rose says:

      06:04pm | 14/08/12

      Nice generalization there, my kid’s and their friends seem to judge males and females pretty much by the same scorecard, maybe it’s only older people that judge along gender lines. For my kids they are harshest on a female acquaintance they know who lives with her parents, pays little to nothing even though her parents are struggling (when she does pay anything everybody gets told and she expects to be congratulated), the girl works casual hours and mum works full time but she still gets the shits on if mum doesn’t have everything done on time every time while she does absolutely nothing. Her boyfriend lives there probably at least half the time, for free and also is too lazy to get out of his own way.
      Interestingly there is no sympathy for the parents, as far as my kids are concerned they made their bed and now they have to lie in it.

    • Tim says:

      06:07pm | 14/08/12

      Laura,
      And I’ve found that most females definition of clean is far above what is actually hygienically required.
      No, the carpet doesn’t need to be vacuumed every second day.

    • Gox says:

      07:20pm | 14/08/12

      @Laura: I completely agree

      I have lived in share-housing since I was 17, and (almost) consistently the men are much more fun and laid back, though messier, while the women are more cleanly but often make a big deal out of small things and get passive aggressive. Of course I have lived with exceptions, this is just my general experience with the people I have lived with.

      Honestly, I am currently the only woman in my household and I wouldn’t change it. In practice I do the dishes etc more often, but the guys don’t get pissy or passive aggressive and they tend to be more up front with issues.

      Also, they like fixing things themselves, saving us money and saving me that time the bathroom door locked me in…

    • Lilly says:

      10:29am | 15/08/12

      I thought we were past the age where a woman’s worth was assessed by their cooking ability. I am Gen Y. I am Female. I work 7 days a week (no lies I have 2 jobs) to pay for my education as I live in a unit with my Gen Y male partner who earns more than me with less education (OMG). And after all that. I still can’t cook, in fact I almost burnt our last apartment down.

      And I’m not alone. In fact only one of my friends/peers lives with his parents, for the last 12 months he has been the legal carer for his elderly, ill father while his mum works as a doctor to pay the bills. But I guess it’s all irrelevant because some moron who looks like he’s 40 at 27 is in the paper as being a bludger. One a bludger All a bludger,

    • ByStealth says:

      11:10am | 15/08/12

      @ Rose

      I’m glad people are holding women more accountable like in the example you’ve given. How can anyone expect sexism against women to die off if they don’t shoulder the same accountability as men?

      Expecting respect.out of gendered entitlement rather than earning it like the rest of us breeds resentment.

    • Blind Freddy says:

      03:56pm | 14/08/12

      Once he’s a qualified commercial pilot, pulling in the big dollars, he wont have any trouble finding a girlfriend - regardless of his “flaws”.

    • CJ says:

      07:18pm | 14/08/12

      Well let’s assume that Top Gun gets the girl, he’s in for one hell of a ride. Theres a pretty good chance she is going to whip him into line quicker than he can fly an X43. Unless he’s looking at settling down with a cougar twice his age he isn’t going to find a woman under the age of 40 that will be willing to live with him. After spending nearly 30 years with his mother, his attitude to women and bad habits will be so out of step with the modern woman he’ll be out on his ear and back at Mums before he can say I do.
      Good luck.

    • Lilly says:

      10:35am | 15/08/12

      lollollol you don’t actually know much about commercial pilots do you. He won’t be earning the big dollars for at least 20 years. Up until then he’ll be lucky to be on $60,000pa. Pilots pay is a myth unless you are a Qantas check and training captain.

    • Ironside says:

      04:09pm | 14/08/12

      Mr NSW works as a volunteer and studies but has still managed to save almost 200 dollars a week (10000 in 12 months). Where is this money coming from. I think the real reason Mr NSW doesn’t want to use his real name is because he is worried that Centrelink will realise they probably should be cutting his allowances back a bit.

    • Tim says:

      04:35pm | 14/08/12

      More like drug sales aren’t taxed.

    • Alfi says:

      11:39am | 15/08/12

      I suspect it’d be a combination of both drug money and Centrelink money, which should keep him going rather nicely while he won’t get a real job.

    • Slothy says:

      04:50pm | 14/08/12

      Aside from a 6 month interstate internship, I stayed home until my final year of uni, at which point I moved in with my boyfriend and his mother. Yes, by the time the year was up, I was ready to have my own space – she was very laid back and a great housemate, but it’s really hard to have a fight with your boyfriend when his mother is in the kitchen – but the bonding time and the financial head-start were worth the sacrifice.

      Staying at home really did set us up. Although we were both contributing, with me working part-time and studying, and my boyfriend working full-time + overtime while I finished my honours year, we had a huge savings buffer when we moved at the end of uni. We knew the opportunity we were being given, and we saved everything we had to make the most of it.

      The flip side of this is that this help will be paid back when our parents are old. Our financial planning doesn’t just involve covering our mortgage and our hypothetical kids in the case of an untimely death – it also involves setting aside money to help our parents in their old age should it become necessary. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with family members helping set up family members, as long as it’s actually helping. Giving your kid space to get a nest egg underneath them – helping. Shielding your kid from all the pressures of the real world until they’re nearly 30? Not helping.

    • Al says:

      04:52pm | 14/08/12

      I have never understood this type of behaviour.
      I know that as soon as I had an income (even as a student) I was paying rent and board (even while at home).
      If you want to stay at home fine, but pay your way. It may not be the full cost of moving out but you should at least make a contribution towards these costs (or even chores etc to make up for it if you don’t have money to spare).

    • acotrel says:

      09:11am | 24/08/12

      @Al
      You obviously have a high level of self-esteem, unlike some others.

    • B says:

      05:05pm | 14/08/12

      This is not about men living at home for extended periods, it is about people in general doing this. I am one of the only people I know that lives out of home without relying on my parents.
      Only today I had an argument with a 23 year old friend and colleague about this very thing. I said that at 23 years old I am very much an adult, while she was adamant we are still ‘kids’.
      At 23, she still lives at home in her parents lavish North Shore home rent free with her car completely paid for, and a bonus of parental paid overseas holidays once or twice a year.

      When I cited that for me paying my own rent for over a year, being financially independent and being in a long term relationship said ‘adult’  to me, she became huffy and said I’m not as ‘grown up’ as I think I am and I have no grasp on age. Ugh.

    • Granny says:

      08:25pm | 14/08/12

      Yes, you are grown up B! Good for you. Extended adolescence is a weird 21st century phenomenon, don’t you think? Two of our daughters are married and renovating their own homes, and the one left at home is finishing a taxing degree. They all pulled their weight and didn’t expect to be handed everything, worked their way through uni and are paying off hex debts. Spoilt, entitled adult “children” are aliens to me.

    • CJ Johnson says:

      10:14am | 15/08/12

      Granny:

      Actually, “extended adolescence” is more of a throwback to when there WAS no such thing as “adolescence”. Before the 20th Century, the 50s in particular, most families simply got bigger or smaller as children were born or elders/other family members died. You still see it in countries that haven’t adopted the American model. Large extended families living as a single unit.

      The problem is, that idea for some reason suddenly became unpopular, most likely because of the sudden massive adoption of “nuclear family” ideals in the US, which was exported to places like Australia.

      Even now, in places like Italy, until a man finds a wife, if he were to leave home and pursue independence away from his parents, he would be considered to be acting disrespectful to all the hard work that they put in raising him; almost saying that their efforts were not good enough, and that he would have a better chance going it alone.

    • Tubesteak says:

      05:09pm | 14/08/12

      I can spot these sort of spinless tools from a mile away and not only do I refuse to employ them but they deserve nothing but scorn and ridicule.

      I moved out of home when I was 18 and supported myself through uni while working part-time. I rented in Sydney and saved for a deposit on a place in the current “inflated” property market. I did it by getting a real job not some nambypamby part-time help the useless type of job but a job that pays 6 figures and requires dual qualifications.

      These sort of losers don’t deserve respect. They need to man-up and grow a pair.

    • BJ says:

      09:01pm | 14/08/12

      Which job requires more than one qualification? I am intrigued.

    • Sam says:

      05:18pm | 14/08/12

      Yes, they have it good.  The biggest mistake they will make is moving out and shacking up and having kids of their own.  Only then will they realise how good it was at home with mum.

    • TimB says:

      06:02pm | 14/08/12

      Out of home at 17. Bought my own place at 24.

      The living at home thing may make things easier financially, but it’s hardly required if one is willing to put the hard yards in.

    • CRJ says:

      07:36pm | 14/08/12

      I went out with a bloke who, as soon as his marriage broke down, he was back home living with his mum. Now, I understand how difficult it can be to get back on one’s feet after going through a separation/divorce (been therm myself), and being with family can sooth the soul. But this ‘man’ refused to take responsibility for himself. His mother did everything - the cooking, washing, cleaning and ironing. He did this for 4 years, from the age of 44 to 48. He would brag that he “had to learn to cook” when he moved out of his mum’s, as he believed cooking, washing etc is ‘women’s work’. He did not pay any board or help with money for bills or food. His 86 year old mother still does all his ironing. The bloke has never taken responsibility for his own welfare. He expected his mum or others to pander to his domestic necessities. We as a couple did not last long - he being 50 and me 37 when we split. It was like dating a child. He

    • thatmosis says:

      08:10pm | 14/08/12

      This whole thing just shows how self centred this generation is. Its alright to bludge off mum and dad as long as they can save some money and live in the lifestyle they have become accustomed to.  What a serious waste of space these people are.

    • averagebloke says:

      10:00pm | 14/08/12

      Three cheers for the Negative Gearing on Investment Property Tax Rort!!
      Wayne Swan would rather talk about his Bruce Springsteen record collection than a whole generation being robbed of home ownership because of economically irresponsible tax loophole.

    • NESLIHAN KUROSAWA says:

      10:36pm | 14/08/12

      Hi Lucy,

      Grown up children living with parents can seem like a very old fashioned and silly thing to some people!  But I just wanted to say otherwise and it is not unheard of!  Simply because it makes sense financially and socially to people wanting to save money for big events such as getting married and buying a house.  I personally like to think it is smart way of making ends meet in modern day society,considering rising costs of living involved wit h paying rent, house hold bills and enough money left over for social outings.

      Maybe it is also the expression of “there is no place like home” !  And behaving like you never left in the first place, can make all the difference in the world. It might strange to some of us thinking that all that money saved but true independence lost at the same time, right?  But who is the judge or the jury in this matter, really? Everyone has their own personal reasons for choosing a particular life style.

      Even though it may not be designed especially for us personally, it might just be a perfect life style for others. This idea might even be catching in a sense that more and more young adults could be interested in choosing to live at home, never wanting to leave in the first place.  Kind regards to your editors.

    • chuck says:

      09:44am | 15/08/12

      Shannon looks like a candidate for Big Brother (if mum gives him leave of absence) and also Undateables!

    • C says:

      11:29am | 15/08/12

      The Boomers were really the anomaly looking to get out and about early on which really was a function of an economy and higher-ed environment which supported that. Staying at home until it made financial sense to do otherwise was the norm at the turn of the century so we’re just seeing regression toward the mean rather than a new trend. It is, really, a very old trend.

      Myself, out of the home by 19 but no mortgage.

    • Audra Blue says:

      12:04pm | 15/08/12

      You have to admire people who know their limits and stick with them.  That Shannon guy (girly name) knows he’s not a catch for the female population, so he stays where he’s loved and cherished and taken care of:  with his mum.

      Any male living with his parents past the age of 21 should be ashamed of himself, regardless of his reasoning and how much he “takes care of himself”.  If you’re living with mum and dad, you are not taking care of yourself.

      Time to grow a pair and face the real world as a man.

    • Derick says:

      05:17pm | 15/08/12

      Julius Ceasar was living with his mother while campaining for a senate seat. My point being is that it is all about what is “in”. Banks through giving mortgages to “land lords” or “commoners” always end up on top. Medium property price should be 3 x gross medium yearly income. Anything above that is not fair and fair play. See no need to be rocket scientist to work peer pressure through media affecting peoples’ spending and banks financing hollywood and all the other media pretty much.

    • Tiffany says:

      05:28pm | 15/08/12

      I don’t get these people who move out only to live in a shared accomodation. If you live on your own or with boyfriend/girlfriend they you can brag about being an adult and brag about that you have moved out

    • Daylight Robbery says:

      12:56am | 16/08/12

      Italy has quite a high stay at home rate of children, even when they are married.

      One of the highest average age rates too. No ones having kids. 

      Be interesting to see if there is a relation.  More than likely more Australians will be doing the same in the future.

 

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