DH and his siblings range from age 26 to 34.
Dh and I 'squatted' at his mum's home for 3 years in our 20s after moving home from abroad to save a deposit/also in limbo while waiting for a visa (me), finally bought in london at age 26 and 29 and moved out. Dh going through a rough time at work now but we can pay the mortgage on my income.
Dh's sister is doing the same at her MIL (living there with no immediate prospect of moving out) as we did except she is 32 instead of being 24 and has a baby plus her dh is doing a commission only job as a realtor (he is 35).
Another of DH's sister is moving to her boyfriend's country, she is a musician/tutor who earns pennies and her 34 year old boyfriend is unemployed (he did a succession of degrees), don't see how they can live anywhere but with parents sustainably. If they do end up renting it would be something that does not mathematically add up on account on having single digit income (in a year)
MIL's youngest tells me why should she want to move out, she would probably live there for the rest of her life. She has turned two rooms into her 'shed" (they look like the hoarders rooms on telly). She is not likely to ever earn enough to move out and doesn't go out of her room most days
I often feel worried that the bar is so low- we have savings and pay our own mortgage now out of our earnings but this makes us the exception in DH's family even though many of them aren't actually that young.. they are dotted around the globe so this isn't just a uk issue, this is a global issue.
Maybe we are all a waste of space but surely all 4 can't be a 'waste of space'. I think this new mode of living must be confusing for many people (where it is not guaranteed you can have your own place and sustain yourself) when it was the norm for previous generations, dh's grandfather bought a semi in london on a garment worker's wage (he didn't know whether he had a job from one week to the next) but he bought it cos his new wife to be loves it. I don't even feel surprised at the rise in far right violence if that is the case- frustrated people need an outlet.
Dh's sisters partners are both extremely right wing. One literally talks like trump (the commission only realtor), the other told me 5% Muslims is one Muslim too many..perhaps they have no other outlet to vent that they have zero ability to support a family on their own (presently) and need to rely on their aged parents (the realtor's mum is almost 70) to support them.
I worry about the future of the west if this is common...it is not possible to have so many young men who have nothing to lose and not have it impact on the system in some way/result in mass civil unrest.
People from richer backgrounds may be less aware but one thing about DH's family is that other than me, his sisters are both with men (who come from 'normal' backgrounds). Dh was on free school meals and EMA himself. I think it affects people from poorer backgrounds more visibly