Therapist explains why Gen Z is having less sex than older generations

For anyone else who is single, you'll know that it's really hard out here at the moment.

The dating game isn't for the the faint of heart. Some people might have been fortunate enough to have a childhood sweetheart or met their future spouse at college, meanwhile the rest of us pray to have a How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days meet-cute kind of moment at a bar.

A more realistic occurrence, however, is that we spend our evenings swiping on dating apps while binge watching Ryan Murphy's latest gory series on Netflix.

All in all, we're not dating as much (or as well) as the generations before us. Earlier this year it was reported that just 56 percent of Gen Z enter adulthood having engaged in a romantic relationship, compared to 75 percent of members of older generations, as per a report by Survey Center on American Life.

Gen Zers aren't entering romantic relationships as much as previous generations (Getty Stock)

Adding insult to injury, a new study carried out by Playboy, the Kinsey Institute, and contraceptive brand Julie has found that Gen Z is also having less sex than older geneartions – i.e our parents.

One of the biggest issues? Gen Zers are still living at home, which I think we can all agree is quite the buzz kill when it comes to intimacy...

According to the study, two in three Gen Zers living at home with their parents said that they hadn't had sex with anyone in the last three months.

This doesn't mean that Gen Z aren't interested in sex though; it simply means the housing crisis across the US (and, well, everywhere) is making it increasingly more difficult for young adults to be able to afford to move out.

Anthony Preischel, a New York-based sex therapist, told USA Today: "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.

"It definitely has decreased their ability to be able to have casual sex."

Young adults who still live at home with their parents are finding hard to maintain a healthy sex life (Getty Stock)

Virginia Gramarosso, a Chicagoland health educator who works with middle schoolers, high schoolers, and young adults, also weighed in on young people living at home still.

"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."

Another thing Preischel shared his thoughts on was Gen Zers having difficulty dating. He shared: "People are getting burned out from the dating apps, they are feeling a little bit more socially anxious about going out and meeting people."

Linking back to Gen Z being too broke to move out of their parents' house, they're also too broke to date.

The study found that 43 percent said that financial concerns make it harder to date or maintain a relationship, and 37 percent blamed financial stress for negatively affecting their sex life.

Elsewhere, 39 percent said that the cost of dating limited their opportunity to meet new people.

Preach.