Breaking News English

The Current Podcast and How to Subscribe

Millions of workers live with parents  (1 minute 59 seconds)

Almost two million young workers in the U.K. have to live with their parents because they cannot buy a house or rent a room. Newspapers in Britain call them the "clipped wing generation" because they are like birds who have had their wings cut. House prices in the U.K. are now so high that many young people cannot afford to buy one. This means a quarter of young adults have to live with their parents or grandparents. A poll found that 48 per cent of the people said the biggest problem was housing costs. Britain has a long history of young people moving away from the family home when they start working. Rising house prices are now making this more and more difficult to do.

---

 
 

---

A 32-year-old woman said she has been saving money for over ten years to pay the deposit for a new apartment. She said it was very difficult because the more she saves, the more house prices go up. She is worried about the future if she can't buy her own home. She told reporters why she didn't want to leave the family home and rent, saying: "If I move out now, the reality is I'll be stuck paying expensive rents for the rest of my life….The thought that I'm going to be living like a teenager into my late 30s or even 40s is really disheartening." A charity for homeless people said Britain's government needed to build more homes and sell them at a price that is low enough for younger people.

 

---

 

• Please consider making a donation to Breaking News English.com

Click below for a free sample of the BNE book

• "1,000 Ideas & Activities for Language Teachers"