A logical response to the demands of the labour market? Young people living alone in Australia

Abstract

It is clear that increasing numbers of young adults are choosing to live alone, both in Australia and elsewhere around the world. What is less clear is why they are living alone and, specifically, to what extent this housing trend might be driven by the pressures and demands of an employment structure that makes intimate relationships less possible. One aspect of the individualisation thesis that has been under-explored is the argument it makes that social and institutional conditions in late modern societies require individuals to prioritise paid work and remain ‘free and flexible’ in their personal lives – a logical explanation for the growth of living alone. This article assesses this argument using a study of young adults living alone in Australia. In-depth qualitative interviews indicate that only a minority perceive that their work has influenced their decision to live alone. However, this claim needs to be placed in the context of a simultaneous awareness that they are all ‘very busy’, with lives that are universally perceived as being easier to manage when living alone. The article considers the implications of these ‘busy lives’ for young adults’ relationship futures and current work–life experiences, thus contributing to knowledge about individualisation, identity and the role of paid work in young people’s housing decisions.