27/4/2007 - Introduction

How have young people changed over time???

This webpage will take a look at the key changes influencing the experience of being young in contemporary Australian Society

The generations being looked at are:

Silent Generation

Baby Boomers

Generation X

Generation Y (Click 'n' Go)

Generation Z

Enjoy

***The following information is displayed after surveys, internet research and book researching***

26/4/2007 - The Silent Generation (1927-1945)

I asked Ivy (85) and Thelma (91) a series of questions about growing up in the Silent Generation...

1. Are young people today very different to when you were a young person?  How do other generations compare to yours?
   Ivy: Kids today want more than we ever had.  And women in my day were still 2nd class citizens and didnt really have any rights.  I used to spend every night in an air raid shelter and went to work by truck, which wasnt uncommon.
   Thelma: Yes, people have gotten funny over the years.  They want more.  You really notice the difference more I think when you're working somewhere, whereas I stayed at home.
   
2. What things were you most concerned about in your youth?
   Ivy: Well I spent my late teens in the war
   Thelma: Keeping a good home, taking care of my siblins as I was the oldest, and improving the house when we could afford it (which wasn't often).
   
3. What were your views on marriage and having children?
   Ivy: I was starry eyed about marriage, but I think everyone is.  I didn't think I would get married so soon.  They said in those days if you just met a man and got married soon, it was rumoured that you ought to be married!
   Thelma: I didn't count on having kids.  I just wanted to make a good home and I hoped to get married, but I wasnt allowed to until I was 21
   
4. Was it easy to find employment?  What types of jobs did you have?
   Ivy: It was very easy to find employment.  I worked as a shop assistant, in a clothing factory, a food distributing factory and the military.  I roughly made 7 schillings a week.
   Thelma: I worked at home, but I longed to go out and work with the other girls.
   
5. How far did you go in school?  Did you go to University or TAFE?
   Ivy:  I left school at 14, that was the leaving age back in those days.
   Thelma: I went up to the 6th grade and left school at 14.
   
6. Was your family affected by war at all?  How?
   Ivy: Yes, it was a very scary time.  We never knew when a bomb was going to drop.  I even got married in half a church- the week before it had been landmined.  Generally though, we all just helped one another and moved on with it.
   Thelma: My husband was in the Air Force for 4 years, and that left me home by myself to do things that generally a man would, like chopping wood and mowing the lawn.  We didn't really know what was going on in war time either- we didnt have television or as much radio like people do today.  I didn't even know Darwin had been bombed or that the Japanese had arrived during the war.
   
7. What age did you move out of home and why?
   Ivy: I left at 19 to join the military, although when the war was over my husband and I moved back in with my family because it was difficult to find accommodation.
   Thelma: I left home at 21 because I got married.
   
8. Did you have money in your youth?  If so, where did you get it from and what did you spend it on?
   Ivy: Not really.  When I did though, I used it to buy stocking and the usual stuff to make myself beautiful.
   Thelma: My mum gave me one pound a week which was pretty well paid back then.  I spent it on fanciwork, sometimes I would buy cakes for us to eat and I went to the picture theatres every Tuesday night.
   
9. What did you do for fun and what rules did your parents have in place in regards to your leisure time?
   Ivy: I loved to go to dances, but I was very shy!  Girls back then never went out without gloves or a hat on.  I also was told I wasn't able to be friends with certain people, but I didn't listen.  I had a 9pm curfew.
   Thelma: We did the usual games around the house.  There were dances once a week that I loved going to, and my nanna always came with us.  I also really liked to go rollerskating.  I wasnt allowed to stay out all night, but my parents knew I was responsible enough to come home at a reasonable hour, and I came home around 9.30 or 10pm.

****Ivy is a white caucasion female who was an adolescent in England, and Thelma is also a white caucasion female who was an adolescent in Australia.****

Members of the Silent Generation grew up in a time of war and depression.  They tended to get married early in their lives.  They didn't generally have much money in their youth because of the war and depression.  They also didn't have as many recreational things around to do, like going out to clubs and bars.  Parents of these youths were very strict, and many families moved to suburbs once the housing developments increased.  These people didn't generally save money, and were pressured to conform to suburban life.

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**Trivia**

No President was ever selected from the Silent Generation

Famous Members of The Silent Generation

Marilyn Monroe***BB King***Martin Luther King, Jr.***James Dean***Little Richard***Elvis Presley***Woody Allen***Jim Henson***Jack Nicholson***Martha Stewart***Jimi Hendrix

FASHION

20s
 

30s

40s
  

25/4/2007 - Baby Boomers (1945-1964)

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**Trivia**

Boomers were leaders in the civil rights movement, the feminist cause in the 1970s, gay rights, handicapped rights, and the right to privacy.

Famous Members of The Baby Boomers

Madonna***Gene Simmons***Oprah Winfrey***Anthony Kiedis***Howard Stern***Jerry Seinfeld***Billy Joel***John Bonham***Pete Townshend

FASHION

50s

60s

24/4/2007 - Generation X (1965-1985)

I asked two members of Generation X, Ryan (37) and Cherie (38), a series of questions about their youth...

1. Are young people today very different to when you were a young person?  How do other generations compare to yours?
   Ryan: Yes, other generations have no sense of honor, duty or self-respect.
   Cherie: In some ways.  Today they are more connected by computers, mobiles and messaging. Computers and computer games are an everyday item and it seems that the old ways are just too slow.  They want and expect more.
   
   
2. What things were you most concerned about in your youth?
   Ryan: Working.
   Cherie: Doing well in school and dancing- nothing else.
   
   
3. What were your views on marriage and having children?
   Ryan: It wasn't going to happen
   Cherie: I was not getting married because I wanted a career and to travel and did not expect to have children.
   
   
4. Was it easy to find employment?  What types of jobs did you have?
   Ryan: Yes, I had jobs in a restaurant, I was in the military, and I worked in the heating and cooling industry.
   Cherie: Fairly easy.  I worked in a fast food place and did freelance dance.
   
   
5. How far did you go in school?  Did you go to University or TAFE?
   Ryan: I did up to Year 12 in High School, and went to University and studied Criminal Justice and Business.
   Cherie:  I finished Year 12 at the age of 15, and after that I did two years of TAFE studying Performance (dance).
   
   
6. Was your family affected by war at all?  How?
   Ryan: Yes, but I'd rather not discuss it.
   Cherie: They weren't, although my husband was in the military for the first few years of our marriage.  He was never called out to fight though.
   
   
7. What age did you move out of home and why?
   Ryan: 18- I had no choice.
   Cherie: 15.  I left to go to Performing Arts College in the city.
   
   
8. Did you have money in your youth?  If so, where did you get it from and what did you spend it on?
   Ryan: Yes, because I worked from the age of 12.  I spent my money on daily necessities.
   Cherie: I lived on an allowance after I moved out of home.  I paid for my rent and bill and food, as well as transportation.
   
   
9. What did you do for fun and what rules did your parents have in place in regards to your leisure time?
   Ryan: I worked, my parents were very strict.
   Cherie: I lived by my own rules after 15, and I liked to go out to clubs to dance!
   

23/4/2007 - Click 'n' Go (1986-2003)

I asked myself (Aylah, 15) and Nick (16) a series of questions about their generation...

1. Are young people today very different to you as a you as a Click 'n' Go?  How do older generations compare to yours?
   Aylah: Yes, I think my generation is definetely different.  People younger than myself are really sheltered, growing up in to a world where it's racist, sexist or something along those lines if you do anything!  Everything has to be politically correct.  My generation is really defined by technology and a lot of media influence.  Other generations never had the access to things we do now, and it's quite funny to see older generations try to use a computer.  I really think our parents expect a lot from us as well.  They don't understand that school work nowadays is a lot more difficult and complicated to when they were in school.  They really don't understand that sometimes we actually do need a few hours of un-interrupted study.
   Nick: For people younger than myself, I think that their learning is a lot harder than what ours is at the moment, and I think they will be expected to be better than the last generation. And as for older generations, everything back in their day was completely different.  They didn't have as much technology, and their learning was really minimal.  Our requirements today are a lot more than what they had.
2. What are you most concerned about as a young person.
   Aylah:  Getting through school with good marks.  I really worry that I wont get into the university that I want to, or that I'll have enough money to move out AND go to uni.  I don't really sweat the whole peer pressure thing, though. 
   Nick: I'm concerned about school- the whole end product of what will happen when I'm done. I'm also concerned about what will happen in the next 5-10 years of my life- whether or not I have succeeded in what I've wanted to do.
3. What are your views on marriage and having children?
   Aylah:  I'd like to get married someday, but I want to do it after I have finished school and done all the things that I want to do with my life first.  I suppose one day I will have kids, but I only want one.  It's too expensive these days to have kids!
   Nick: I love the idea of getting married and having kids, but only one-two kids.  I like the idea of being in love and taking that to the next level and being with that person for the rest of your life.  I want kids to carry on the next generation, and if I only have one or two kids, it's easier to look after them and a lot less expensive.
4. Is it easy to find employment?  What types of jobs have you had?
   Aylah: In Australia it is.  In America, there is basically no one willing to hire young people, they think its too much of a risk or liability.  But definetely in Australia it's easy for kids my age to get a job.  I've worked as a coffee barista for the past 8 months, and before that I wasn't too worried about getting a job.
   Nick: I think it's easy to find employment, though most people are too lazy to go out and find jobs (and that includes a lot of people older than myself).  I work on a block, and have been for about a year and a half.
5. How far do you plan to go in school?  Do you want to go to University or TAFE?
   Aylah: I want to finish year 12 and I REALLY want to go to University to study Psychology, and I plan to  be there for about 5-6 years. 
   Nick: I will finish year 12, and I plan to be at University for about 6 years to study architecture.
6. Has your family been affected by war at all?  How?
   Aylah: My dad was in the military when I was a kid, and that caused us to move around a lot. And the year that I was born a war broke out, so my dad was always working.  We lived on the military based and my mum never knew if my dad was going to get called out to fight, so she was always pretty stressed out. There is a war going on right now, but it hasn't affected my family.
   Nick: Nope! My family is LAZY!
7. What age do you want to move out of home and why?
   Aylah: I'd like to move out when I finish year 12, so somewhere between 17 and 18.  When I do move out, it will be to move overseas back to America or to travel, but I haven't decided what to do first.
   Nick: I'd like to move out roughly at 18.  I want to be more independent and with my girlfriend and go to University.
8. Do you as a youth have money? What do you spend it on?
   Aylah: Yes, my job pays me pretty well.  I spend it on my clothes, I pay for some of my schooling, and I buy random things like makeup and phone credit. I also spend money on my boyfriend and on going out. I'm trying to save up for university and for a house when I move out in two years.  Hopefully the economy is still low in America in two years time, because at the moment it's really cheap to buy a decent home!
   Nick: Yes, I do have money.  I buy clothes, I pay for school and uniforms, I basically buy anything I really need like toiletries and food for my pet.  I also spend money on my girlfriend and on going out.
   
9. What do you do for fun and what rules do your parents have in place in regards to your leisure time?
   Aylah: I go to the cinema or I go watch bands play locally.  Sometimes I go to parties, but not that often.  Mostly I just spend a lot of time with my boyfriend, shopping or walking around.  My parents are pretty leniant with my leisure time.  I don't really have a curfew, well not a set one anyway.  It sort of depends on what mood my parents are in at the time.  I can go to parties and I can drink as long as I don't come home drunk.  And my boyfriend and I frequently sleep over at each other's houses on the weekends.
   Nick: I like to play team sports, and I basically do everything that Aylah does (she is my girlfriend!).  I don't have a curfew, and I can drink as long as I warn my parents that I am.

 ***Aylah is a caucasion female who is an adolescent in Australia, but also grew up in America.  Nick is a caucasion male who is an adolescent in Australia***

Members of this generation find it incredibly easy to find employment and make money.  A good number of them would really like to go to University, and nearly everyone wants to move out of home ASAP.  Most of them don't want many kids, saying that it is too expensive.  In terms of recreation, most young Australians like to party and drink alcohol, with permission from parents a lot of the time.  They love their sports.  Most are concerned about what the next few years holds for them.

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**Trivia**
97% own a computer ...94% own a cell phone...56% own an mp3 player ...76% use Instant Messaging. ...15% of IM users are logged on 24 hours a day/7 days a week ...34% use websites as their primary source of news ...28% own a blog and 44% read blogs...49% download music using peer-to-peer file sharing

Famous members of Click 'n' Go

Orlando Bloom***Kanye West***Liv Tyler***John Mayer***Katie Holmes***Bam Margera***Christina Aguilera***Jake Gylenhall***Kirsten Dunst***Jessica Simpson***Paris Hilton***Nicole Richie***Guy Sebastian***Jessica Alba***Jennifer Hawkins***Mischa Barton

FASHION 

90s

Early 2000s

22/4/2007 - Generation Z (2003-Present)

     Generation Z is also referred to as The New Silent Generation (the new generation shares many characteristics as that of the Silent Generation) or as Generation Alpha  due to the popular use of the terms Generation X and Generation Y), Millenials or the Homeland Generation.  There are conflicting dates with this generation.  Some say that it started in the mid 2000s, but 9/11 and the Digital Revolution set the date back to the late 1990s.  This generation will be the most technologically advanced generation, growing up in a world already full of technology and so much more being developed already.  The members of this generation are still infants, but as they grow older they will have to face the aftermath of the War in Iraq, and deal with decisions that politicians today make, and it is predicted they will be the start of the next revolution.

Many people consider 9/11 to be the dividing line between Gen Y (Click 'n' Go) and Gen Z.

21/4/2007 - References

Below is a list of sites that were used to complete this research project...

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_Generation
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_boomers
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_x
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Y
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Z
• http://www.marketingvox.com/archives/2003/10/15/generation_z_the_connected_multitasker/
• http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=generation+z
• http://library.thinkquest.org/23440/