Yet, a recent study seems to show all this up as a hippie dream. In short, it concludes that Vlaamse jongeren willen een partner, een huis en een kind tegen dat ze 26 zijn – young Flemish people want a partner, a house and a child by the time they are 26.

In the past, jongeren – young people thought first een carrière maken – have a career; en dan op het gemak uitkijken naar een partner – and then take your time to find a partner, om een gezin mee te stichten – to start a family. It appears that few young’uns have this perspective today.

Of course, there is a difference between what you want and what you get. Whether all the teenagers questioned will be tucked up with partner and babe in arms in their dream villa in 10 years’ time is another matter. But it’s a fact that Vlaamse jongeren today, whatever their background, are nearly all running around with almost the same life scenario in their heads: samenwonen met een partner – living together with a partner, de aankoop van een huis of appartement – purchase of a house or flat, het eerste kind – the first child en een trouwpartij – and a wedding, and all by the time they are 26.

So much for the idea that we have all become individualists; clearly, the power of the group is still great. As one of the authors of the report put it: “Het ideaalbeeld blijft robuust en stabiel – The ideal image is robust and stable”, and she admits, “en beetje saai zelfs – and even a bit boring”. Perhaps a tad, especially if you move into a new house where you are still likely to be when you retire, since moving house is not so common in Flanders.

A big change is samenwonen (or at least openly) and saving the wedding to last. Though the biggest seems to be that teenagers now even contemplate what their lives will look like in 10 years’ time. It’s almost as if the youth revolution never happened. Forty years ago, life was for now, and as far from home – and mortgages – as possible. And 26-year-olds were aliens, like parents or teachers.

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