Young Australians may be having less sex than most other demographics, but their changing attitudes look more like creative disruption than crisis In 2019 the idea of a millennial and Gen Z “sex recession” became fact. Or it became the 2019 version of a fact: something we all (myself included) absorb after reading viral headlines on Facebook. There’s certainly some truth to it. Studies from around the world have shown a moderate decline in sexual activity; a US survey found that between 1991 and 2017, the number of high school students having sexual intercourse dropped from 54% to 40%. In a fascinating cover story, the Atlantic put a name to the phenomenon, and the story stuck: young people are “retreating from intimacy”. This is now being used to explain, and most often criticise, the behaviours of young Australians too. Continue reading...