When I was young, it was readily assumed that as people got older they would buy their own home, have a permanent job working reasonable hours, earn generous salaries, have enjoyable and fulfilling jobs (as long as they had a good education), belong to a trade union that constantly improved their wages and working conditions, always be solvent (except for a mortgage), and get excellent medical treatment.
Boy, has all that changed, and changed radically. All those expectations have been blown to smithereens by various political and economic twists and turns.
What do today's young people expect? Unless they have wealthy parents, or parents with good connections, or a family business, or exceptional skills or talents, or a shedload of luck, then probably the following:
- Be unable to afford their own home
- Pay an extortionate rent or still live with their parents
- Have a temporary job or zero-hours contract working at any time of the day
- Have a miserable salary
- Have a boring and impossibly demanding job
- Not be in a trade union as they're no longer so powerful
- Never be solvent and face a lifetime of debt
- Have poor medical treatment because the NHS is hopelessly overloaded
I worry that after the present virus emergency is over, with probably the loss of thousands of jobs, the young will have even worse prospects. It doesn't bear thinking about.
Yes, anyone in the travel or hospitality field is going to be struggling for a long time when this is over.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely, those without a college degree are worse off than in previous generations as the number of good paying factory and other blue collar jobs diminish. Unfortunately, every (and I do mean EVERY) electrician, HVAC, plumber, carpet layer, etc. that comes into my home says that they just can't find good help because applicants either don't want to work hard or have a drug problem.
Bijoux: Wages in the UK haven't risen in real terms for many years, and even graduates can expect very low wages. But when I was young, workers in car factories, printing plants and the like had negotiated very impressive salaries.
DeleteI think that you underestimate human resilience and ability to bounce back from adversity. Some hiccups will certainly be there but, mark my words, there will be quick recovery to a vastly different life style after this crisis. Many adjustments will have to be made but, I think overall, the world will be a better place to live in by say 2025.
ReplyDeleteRamana: True, people can be very resilient, but I'm not sure about a quick recovery. This pandemic has disrupted the economy and people's personal lives so drastically that there won't be an easy convalescence.
DeleteWe have been brought to our knees but like Ramana says I can only see good coming out of this. I know it will a world wide depression like we've never seen but I hope with all my heart we have learned from this in a deep and meaningful way. We have to stop treating the planet as infinite in resources and get back to basics.
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www: I sincerely hope people will have learnt a few necessary lessons from this massive upheaval, and the world will be a better place, but people can also stick to their old habits and beliefs with amazing tenacity.
DeleteUnfortunately the upheaval is just starting. Don't forget the effects of global warming -- more wildfires, extreme weather events, competition for resources, etc. Some people, especially ones with resources, will thrive, others won't. We won't be here to see the worst of it. We've been lucky to have lived in unusually prosperous times.
ReplyDeleteJean: Indeed, there's still climate breakdown to contend with on top of the damage done by the virus. We're very lucky to have lived when we did, before life became much more difficult and full of constant compromises.
DeleteYour description of the past a " wonderful world" seems it bit too fairy tale to me..Maybe a certain category of the society got all this , but certainly not the majority. Did you ever have a look how work was in factories ? And well I do not know so many people who owned their house or flat. Working hard does not always mean to get all you wish and good educated people do not make the wealth of a country, but mostly the hard working class.
ReplyDeleteRosa: Well, the once comfortable life I described wasn't shared by everybody. I myself lived in a shabby bedsit for 6½ years and didn't own my own home until I was 36. But it was true for a lot of people. And I totally agree that hard work is no guarantee of rich rewards and also that wealth is largely created by the exploited proletariat.
DeleteOur daughter is one of the lucky ones. She's a truck driver, working under union rules, with a contract delivering toilet paper one direction and packing for bullets the other direction both of which are in huge demand. Plus she bought a fixer upper house that's off grid on several acres which she and her boyfriend are improving as they go. I am grateful her life is good.
ReplyDeleteLinda: Sounds like your daughter is doing very well. As you say, one of the lucky ones.
DeleteYeah I worry the same thing.
ReplyDeleteMary: It's impossible to know what will happen after the pandemic is over. Things could settle down quite quickly or there could be huge upheavals.
DeleteA college degree is no longer a guarantee of a decent job, which is really sad. We've really messed up our world for our kids.
ReplyDeleteAgent: I don't think it's the older generation (or the middle-aged generation) that have messed life up for the young. It's all the politicians and their obsession with cutting public services, "austerity" and helping millionaires rather than people on the breadline. I never voted for the young to have a worse life than I've had.
DeleteI'm usually an optimistic person but I do worry about the world my grandson will be growing up in.
ReplyDeletePolly: It all looks pretty scary. Climate breakdown, crumbling public services, a collapsing economy, zero-hours contracts. I'm glad I'm not growing up right now.
DeleteThey'll be different ways of doing things. We will adapt and bounce back - it's what we are good at.
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Ms Scarlet: I do think the economy and everyday lives will bounce back pretty quickly. People are just desperate to get back to all their familiar pleasures - and shopping habits.
DeleteFuture prospects certainly are different for young people today than after WWII. They will be decidedly different as will be the opportunities which I’m not sure we can predict — too many unknowns. Won’t be returning to the world of before we've known. Who knows, ultimately might even be better in some ways but as always, will have to make sure those possessing the better qualities of mankind prevail.
ReplyDeleteJoared: It'll be interesting to see how things change after the emergency is over. I hope there'll be more respect for all those people doing the humdrum jobs that keep our society going - like supermarket workers. But who knows?
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