Factorise
A recent poll commissioned by The Observer found that 30% of 15-29 year olds agreed that "when it comes down to it" a woman's job is to look after the home and a man's is to be the breadwinner. Only 18% of 30-64 year olds concurred with the statement and even those aged over 64 couldn't match the youngsters' conservatism: they notched up 29%. Doubtless there are many issues behind such a statistic, not least that many of the 15-29s have a naive view of the realities of the workplace and adult life. They may think they'd be happy with stereotypical, fairy-tale gender roles, but if they actually had to operate within their constraining parameters, there's a good chance they'd soon grow miserable.
Then again, perhaps something deeper is at play. Maybe this is another piece of evidence on the growing pile which suggests that the gender equality movement of the 60s and 70s was little more than a blip, a short-lived social experiment. Or maybe it's another sign of the decline and increasing lethargy of the 'West'. I write this with great reluctance, but I do feel that, generally speaking, young people in Britain today can be described with the word 'apathetic'. In the absence of many limitations to struggle against, they seem to have softened and decided that social agitation isn't worth bothering with. Why rock the boat when smooth sailing is so much more pleasant? The desire for equal rights has been replaced by the desire to have the right not to work.
On the rare occasions when some sort of passion is stirred, it appears to favour violence over pacifism, destruction over construction, short-sightedness over a wide-reaching perspective. The protests come across as a tantrum rather than a sustained, reasoned movement. More worryingly, a considerable amount of glamour is being attached to people who, say, halt the day-to-day running of airports or set fire to properties across densely populated European cities. It's akin to the allure ascribed to highwaymen: the more people convince themselves that any action on their part would be pointless, the more they seem to enjoy living vicariously through criminals.
The lack of interest in politics, the growth of poor parenting, the desire to legalise euthanasia, the increasing psychological problems experienced by children. All these are linked. And at their heart is the self-embracing cult of the individual. I just wish young people - and especially young women - could begin to see this, instead of sniggering each time someone says 'feminist'.
Then again, perhaps something deeper is at play. Maybe this is another piece of evidence on the growing pile which suggests that the gender equality movement of the 60s and 70s was little more than a blip, a short-lived social experiment. Or maybe it's another sign of the decline and increasing lethargy of the 'West'. I write this with great reluctance, but I do feel that, generally speaking, young people in Britain today can be described with the word 'apathetic'. In the absence of many limitations to struggle against, they seem to have softened and decided that social agitation isn't worth bothering with. Why rock the boat when smooth sailing is so much more pleasant? The desire for equal rights has been replaced by the desire to have the right not to work.
On the rare occasions when some sort of passion is stirred, it appears to favour violence over pacifism, destruction over construction, short-sightedness over a wide-reaching perspective. The protests come across as a tantrum rather than a sustained, reasoned movement. More worryingly, a considerable amount of glamour is being attached to people who, say, halt the day-to-day running of airports or set fire to properties across densely populated European cities. It's akin to the allure ascribed to highwaymen: the more people convince themselves that any action on their part would be pointless, the more they seem to enjoy living vicariously through criminals.
The lack of interest in politics, the growth of poor parenting, the desire to legalise euthanasia, the increasing psychological problems experienced by children. All these are linked. And at their heart is the self-embracing cult of the individual. I just wish young people - and especially young women - could begin to see this, instead of sniggering each time someone says 'feminist'.
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