Factors contributing to young people’s experiences of economic disadvantage
Kaye Brown
Department of Family and Community Services
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The paper focuses on young people born in the first quarter of 1980. It analyses Centrelink administrative data for the period 1996 to 2000 and explores the situations of young people and their families of origin. It identifies factors that appear to have contributed to the increased probability that, when aged 19 to 20 years, young people experienced some degree of economic disadvantage as indicated by patterns of income support payment receipt. Different levels of disadvantage identified include:
- little/no disadvantage—as indicated by no receipt of income support payments;
- a degree of disadvantage while building human capital - as indicated by receipt of least two quarters of student income support payments.
- a degree of disadvantage related to reduced participation in the workforce - as indicated by receipt of at least two quarters of non-student income support payments; or
- significant disadvantage, as indicated by total reliance on non-studies-related income support payments throughout 1999 and 2000.

The paper also identifies factors that appear to contribute to young women having their first child by the end of their 20th year.

With a view to exploring the extent to which disadvantage appears to be ‘transmitted’ from one generation to the next, the characteristics of young persons’ families of origin when the young person was aged 16 to 17 are explored. These characteristics include parents’ degree of disadvantage (as indicated by their patterns of income support receipt), marital status (including changes in marital status), housing tenure, changes in location and age at which mothers had their first child. Aspects of young persons’ lives are also explored. As well as the degree of disadvantage young people experience, these aspects include the gender; marital status, country of birth and housing tenure of young persons, whether young persons lived with their parents, whether they changed location and whether they identified as indigenous Australians or advised Centrelink of reasons for not being able to live in the family home. Findings of the analysis are discussed in the context of literature about whether "a cycle of welfare dependence" exists.

Paper Download Information (if available):

Paper74.pdf Paper74.ppt

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