Families with children get the joy of new support schemes such as cheaper after-school care and increased child benefit. But what are the prospects for the future for someone sitting alone in a cramped and overpriced rental flat? Groups should not be pitted against each other. But there is a large group the politicians talk far too little about: Those who do not have children, but who are still struggling to make ends meet. The group of single people is of course very complex, but among them we also find those who have the least to mess with. Being alone is vulnerable. There is no one to share the financial risk with. It is easy to become invisible. More for families with children is a political slogan that is popular with voters. But what do the politicians do, for example, for young singles who have not yet established themselves in adult life? Who might want a family and children, but not now? The free, exciting and fun single life is constantly glorified in movies and TV series, but the reality for most people is quite different. More and more young people are reporting mental health challenges. The biggest increase in sickness absence is due to milder psychological problems such as anxiety and depression. There can be many reasons, but of course it is also about living situation and finances. Singles spend most of what they earn on providing a roof over their heads and food on the table. Why don’t you get angry, asks Hilde Wisløff Nagel in the chronicle. Photo: Agenda Involuntarily single people are punished twice. Not only that it can be tough to be alone, but in addition you are alone in covering the expenses for absolutely necessary things such as food and housing. Therefore, it should not surprise anyone that financial difficulties are most widespread among single people. The most common type of payment difficulties is problems with paying housing expenses, figures from the living conditions survey show. Among single people aged 25–44 and single parents, around 10 per cent had experienced not being able to pay their estate fees. This is not least because it costs far more to live alone. High interest rates have meant that the costs of owning your own home have increased by 45 per cent since 2021. That is a seriously big burden. The situation is no better for those who rent housing. The proportion with a high property tax burden is the largest among these, with one in three spending at least 40 per cent of their income on housing. It is not unusual to have to pay up to NOK 10,000 for an unfurnished little hideaway in a medium-sized city in Norway. The standard is often poor, but landlords can still run bidding rounds to push prices up. The challenge of being able to afford housing is not unique to Norway. In several European countries, the numbers of young people moving back in with their parents after finishing education is increasing. Between 2017 and 2022 – the latest year for which data is available – the proportion of working 25- to 34-year-olds living with their parents rose from 27 per cent to 40 per cent. Even with education and a job in place, they are unable to get into the housing market on their own. It is therefore not enough to do everything by the book, finish school, get a higher education and get a job. It is still difficult to afford to live a normal adult life. Even something as basic as having your own place to live is felt to be out of reach. No wonder that this provides fertile ground for disempowerment and distrust of society. Other expenses are also higher when you are single. The food budget, for example, is much higher when there is only one person in the household. According to SIFO’s standard household budget, you will save around NOK 3,000 by having two people share the expenses. It is therefore extra tough for this group when food prices rise as they have in the past year. The possibility of being able to live a good life without having to count every penny to make the monthly budget increase should not be defined by whether or not you have a partner. As a young student, you don’t have the most generous finances, and that’s how it’s always been. But the consolation should be that “just wait, soon you will receive an adult’s salary and then everything will be easier”. The dream of how much better life will be with this adult salary can quickly shatter in the face of the real world. People living alone under the age of 45 have a median income after tax of NOK 362,300. The cookbook “Poor student” cannot be packed away, but should perhaps be renamed or get a sequel called “Poor and single”. Why don’t you get mad, all you singles who spend most of your earnings on putting a roof over your head and food on the table? Why don’t you demand political solutions adapted to singles, such as reduced municipal taxes, or at least better control of the rental market? We need a singles rebellion so that the politicians will open their eyes to this group that no one is talking about. Published 31.07.2024, at 05.39 Updated 31.07.2024, at 05.48
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We need a single rebellion – Expression
