Week of September 3-9 - Question 1

The woman that I talked to that is twenty years my senior was my mom. My mom grew up in Mexico and explained to me how different it was being a twenty year old there than in America. She said despite being over eighteen, she was expected to live at home with her family (which included six sisters and two brothers) and had to follow certain rules. She was expected to clean, cook, go to the market once a day, and follow the family tradition of becoming a lawyer. Anyone who strayed from this proper path was seen as being inappropriate and indecent. She also said that any young woman who had a boyfriend, or especially teens who got pregnant, were outcasted in the town and were portrayed as being cheap. 

The man that I talked to that is twenty years my senior was my dad. My dad grew up in the communist Soviet Union and explained that twenty year olds were expected to obey all laws and stay loyal to the communist government. Since he was an able-bodied male, he was required to join the army for a minimum of two years. Not doing so was seen as inappropriate and was punishable by the law. He said that many teens and young men in their twenties reacted to their frustration by drinking heavily, getting into fights, and experimenting with drugs. 

My neighbor is about forty years older than me, so I decided to interview her as well. She grew up in California as a twenty year old and said that most young women were expected to marry their high school sweethearts and have kids at a young age. She said women were supposed to be obedient and were expected to cook and clean the house, and stay by their husband’s side no matter what. She also said that getting a divorce was seen as very taboo and inappropriate.

My other neighbor who is also about forty years older than me let me interview him as well. He grew up in North Carolina and said that at twenty years old he was expected to help pay the bills, give a portion of his paycheck to his family, and help on the family farm. He was expected to go to church every Sunday and join the military. Not helping out with the bills was seen as inappropriate, and when he picked up and moved to California his family told him he was ungrateful.

With these interviews, I realized that men and women of older generations were much more family-oriented and hard working than the twenty year olds of today. Most of them followed society’s standards and followed the path that was set for them. It was seen as inappropriate to stray from these paths, or to travel and discover what else is out there. Nowadays, wanderlust is encouraged and creating your own path is essential. People are much more liberal with their views today in comparison to how they were forty years ago and twenty year olds have much more freedom to do what they wish.