A sex therapist says the housing crisis is forcing Gen Z to delay independence and, in turn, their sex lives.
Anthony Preischel, a New York-based sex therapist, said that young adults stuck living with parents are struggling to form relationships and have casual sex. “They’re delaying their independence, and understandably so, which is also going to delay their ability then to be able to go out, to be able to form relationships,” he said. “It definitely has decreased their ability to be able to have casual sex.”
The comments follow a new study by Playboy, the Kinsey Institute, and contraceptive brand Julie that found Gen Z is having less sex than older generations. Two in three Gen Zers currently living at home with their parents reported they had not had sex with anyone in the last three months.
Virginia Gramarosso, a Chicagoland health educator who works with middle schoolers, high schoolers, and young adults, also weighed in on the dynamic between young people and their shared living situations. “It has a huge impact on their sexual choices,” Gramarosso said. “I think many struggle with trying to maintain their privacy while also respecting their parents and the space that they share.”
Financial pressure extends beyond rent. The study found that 43 percent of respondents said financial concerns make it harder to date or maintain a relationship, while 37 percent blamed financial stress for negatively affecting their sex life. Additionally, 39 percent said the cost of dating limited their opportunity to meet new people.
Preischel also addressed the broader dating difficulties facing the generation. “People are getting burned out from the dating apps, they are feeling a little bit more socially anxious about going out and meeting people,” he shared.
The findings arrive alongside earlier data from the Survey Center on American Life, which reported this year that just 56 percent of Gen Z enter adulthood having engaged in a romantic relationship, compared to 75 percent of members of older generations.
Despite the decline in sexual activity, the research suggests Gen Z remains interested in sex. The barrier, according to multiple experts, is economic rather than cultural. The housing crisis across the US and elsewhere has made it increasingly difficult for young adults to afford moving out, which directly constrains their intimate lives.
The study paints a picture of a generation caught between desire and constraint: too financially strained to leave home, too financially strained to date, and increasingly exhausted by the digital tools meant to bridge that gap.