Aussie battler

A battler is an Australian colloquialism referring to "ordinary" or working class individuals who persevere through their commitments despite adversity. Typically, this adversity comprises the challenges of low pay, family commitments, environmental hardships and lack of personal recognition. It is a term of respect and endearment intended to empower and recognize those who feel as though they exist at the bottom of society. The term has seen recent use in mainstream politics to describe a demographic section of the Australian people.

The term "Aussie Battler" generally refers to working class Australians, specifically, those who feel they must work hard at a low paying job to earn enough money, is actually well respected by Australian society at large as they stoically face perceived financial hardships, in spite of Australian workers being among some of the highest paid and resourceful in the western world. The concept of an "Aussie battler" is an example of self-aggrandizing language, designed to counter feelings of stigma or inadequacy, and to bolster confidence in being a member of the Australian underclass. It refers to an Australian who continues to struggle in the face of hardship. It is a term of respect and endearment, not simply used to assess someone's financial situation; the ordinary working-man earning a living against the odds. The common variation little Aussie battler further adds to the notion that the battler is at the bottom of society, working under bigger things above.

In Australian English, the concept of a "battler" is a power word similar to the concept of the "hardworking family". It is used by various political personages and entities for their own purposes. Where in one context a person may use the term to refer to people of low socioeconomic status to call for greater welfare, others may use it to refer to a family saving for a private education to call for government payments to private schools.

Recently, the term "battler" has also gained popularity among young people as a mild or endearing insult to imply a person's lack of skill or knowledge at certain tasks. For example: "Jono is a battler with the women" would indicate that despite his best efforts, Jono does not often attract the attention of females.

Some individuals are self-defined "battlers" without fitting the above definition because of their own interpretations of "earning enough money." Social scientist and author Michael Pusey has described this as "Middle Class Battler syndrome" because these "battlers" earn more than the average wage but see expensive homes and consumer goods as necessities. As a result, they have very little disposable income after servicing debts for these items. Despite the self-inflicted hardship, the myth of the "battler" remains.

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