The life and times of Mr and Mrs Average

Men in their 20’s are more likely than women to take home bigger wages and be better educated.

And fewer males than females leave home as young adults.

The findings are the result of a detailed snapshot of Australian young people by IBISWorld business information analysts.

The research, based on the latest census figures , found that, while most people have moved out of home by the age of 30, almost three in five men (58 per cent) aged between 20 and 24 still live with their parents, compared with just under half (47 per cent of women.

IBISWorld general manager Robert Bryant said the rising cost of living, unaffordable housing and lack of available rental properties, as well as the popularity of further education, had conspired to keep young men at home for longer.

But it seems women are paying for their independence.

The figures also show that men earn nearly $19,000 more a year than women on average.

Australian men received an average wage of $1020 a week, up from $391 in 1985. The average woman’s income has risen from $259 to $669 in the past two decades.

Men are also more likely than women to have university or TAFE qualifications, although more than half of either gender has had post school education

But it is not all bad news for women. Most spend an average of 9.5 hours less in the office than men every week. They also take more holidays and retire an average of three years earlier.

Women get married an average of two years earlier and are 15 per cent less likely to be overweight than men.

Dave Underwood, 21, lives with his parents.

“I get looked after real good, a hot meal every night,” he said. “It’s too good at home, plus it costs too much money to move out - $200 rent a week and then you have to pay for food.”

Mr Underwood said of all his mates, only three lived away from home, but he said he wanted to move out by the time he was 25.

Olivia Demir, 25, and her boyfriend Jamie Taripo, 26, believe that paying rent for their Cronulla unit is worth every cent because living together strengthens their relationship and gives them privacy.

Both are paying off a car loan and admit the rocketing price of petrol is putting a strain on their tight budget.

Ms Demir spends $200 a fortnight to drive to and from her job as a graduate nurse at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead.

She said she and Mr Taripo, a freight handler, were considering moving in with her parents, who also live in Cronulla, next year to save a deposit for their own home.

“It would probably take three or four years to save up when living out of home but we could probably do it in a year if we lived at home,” she said. “We’d like to get a townhouse with a backyard no more than 20 minutes from the beach but realistically we can probably only afford a unit.”

Darling Point publicist Michelle Levin, 26, said she was one of the first of her girlfriends to move out of home six years ago, but now all were living in their own places.

HIS

• 58 per cent of 20-24 year-olds still live with their parents and 23 per cent have still not moved out by the time they reach they reach the 25-29 age bracket.
• 54.5 per cent have university or TAFE qualifications.
• Earns $1020.70 a week (up from $391.40 in 1985).
• Marries at age 31, up from age 26 in 1981.
• Spends 37 hours a week at work.
• Unlikely to be in part-time work, with only 29 per cent of men making up the part-time workforce.
• Spends 2.5 hours a day on education and 34 hours a week watching television or engaged in “audio-visual activities”.
• Spends less than 10 hours a week on household work.
• Will retire at 61.
• Between the ages of 25 and 64, has a 67 per cent chance of being classified as overweight or obese.

HERS

• 47 per cent of 20 – 24 year olds live with their parents and 13 per cent still have not moved out by the time they reach the 25 – 29 age bracket.
• 50.6 per cent have university or TAFE qualifications.
• Earns $669.20 a week (up from $258.70 two decades ago).
• Marries at age 29, up from age 23 in 1981.
• Spends 27.5 hours a week at work.
• Represents 71 per cent of the workforce.
• Spends 2.5 hours a day on education and 29 hours a week watching television or engaging in “audio-visual activities”.
• Spends 16 hours a week on household work such as cleaning and preparing of food.
• Takes more than half of all short holidays, particularly quick overseas trips.
• Between the ages of 25 and 64, has a 52 per cent chance of being classified as overweight or obese.

The Sun-Herald July 6 2008

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