Closing Statement

This research file has now come to an end, you have been able to see my initial thoughts, these development into ideas and then a process with gained results. I have gained a lot from this module of  Networks and Connectivity. I now completely understand how important and useful networks have become, how working together can gain success. Without my network of people answering my questions, giving me their opinions and filling out my surveys, I would have nothing. Doing this research file has also inspired me to start a new and improved personal blog, I've got really into updating this research file blog on a regular basis, so am going to translate that into my personal interest and hobbies. I will probably continue looking at this subject area of age, and try and get tickets to Vogue Festival and get and insight into the fashion industries views on age.

My Presentation

This is the powerpoint that I presented to finalise this module. To view the presentation click here. Most of my information and results was communicated verbally, but everything that was included is on this blog plus much more. I wasn't as prepared as I could have been, I managed to go over the time limit of 10 minutes by about 5 or 7 additional minutes. I also feel I had to many results in my presentation, I should have just kept the most interesting and vital pieces of information, this would have in tern reduced the length of my presentation. Next time I will definitely start my presentation much earlier (I had started just over a week before it was due in). this way I could develop my powerpoint as I do the work. This would mean it would be easier to create, bit by bit, I would also have had more time to practise before doing my final presentation. My hypothesis could have been written in more of a question style, instead of starting my research with a conclusion in mind. When enlarged on the screen my references were too small to view, so they needed to be clearer. Also when making a definite statement for example the definition of Zeitgeist, I should always back up with evidence of how I know this. Apart from all these improvements and some major stumbling of words and a few "stuff like that's" it went quite well.

Evaluating My Process

Looking back through my process there are a few things that worked well, didn't work well and that I would change.

- What worked well?

I managed to gain lots of feedback through my network, and lots of responses for all three of my surveys. This high amount of response enabled me to gain vast information and a variety of opinions. My closed questions which gave me quantitative data which a then produced into graphs and charts worked extremely well as it gave me the ability to visualise the responses and compare. My open questions which relied on opinions for responses gained a lot of discussion and debate. These types of questions enabled me to really get a taste of what people actually think instead of giving them a choice of answers, making them choose one which may influence an answer. My blog has also been really successful, I have been keeping on top of it and updating regularly. I have also been communicating with my networks on a regular basis which enabled them to regularly feedback to me with answers and responses and gave me a lot to work with

- What didn't work well?

Some on my questions in my questionnaire as previously mentioned were confusing, and due to this I had to dismiss the responses as they would have been inaccurate. I also feel as though my network was not as extensive as I had hoped, I had attempted to make it as diverse as possible but even though I tried to connect as many weak-ties as possible the age range was clustered around the earl 20's, however I did have a vast range of ages. I also wish I had gained more male opinions as this would have been interesting to compare. 

- What I would do differently? 

If I was to continue with this project or restart I would have started my network at an earlier stage, possibly before even choosing a research area, this would have meant I would have had longer to access a wider range of people. I also wish I had found a super-connector (a member of a network that knows lots of people) this was I could have got my surveys to a wider audience, advancing my much needed diverse weak-ties. When choosing my research area I wish I had defined and narrowed it further, maybe focusing on one of the three subquestions I had created. Having such a broad area meant that there was so much to ask, and i gained so many different responses that I almost didn't know how to visualise them. I would have chosen Growing Younger as this is more relevant today and I gained some of the most interesting results from this area, that way I could refine my research and questions suitable to this topic. If I was to continue or repeat I would also get out there in person, join clubs, go to bars, confront people on the street, handing out cards with links to my Facebook group, blog and surveys to see if this would gain me any more weak-ties and diversity, communicating with more of the older generations and males..

Results Conclusion

At the beginning of my discover I came up with a Hypothesis that most people would agree with the traditional saying 'age is just a number'. Through my discovery I gain an abundance of information which helped me to gain results. There are so many opinions on this matter that not one simple or rounded answer can be given. Most believe that you are the age you feel and that you should not be discriminated against just because of a 'number'. But, most people although thinking this brought to light areas in which age really is an issue, and really does matter. Perhaps it doesn't change us as a person, but it limits us in areas of life due to society and our perceptions of what age means we should be doing with our life. 

Generally there was no right or wrong age to have a child, except for being too young, or two old, and women passing the natural menopause. Age gaps in relationship didn't appear and issue unless the age gap was extremely vast or one partner was considered a minor, as long as their is love. My network feel that children are growing up too fast, especially in the way they dress due to being overly sexualised at a young age through the media and society, whilst adults are trying to become younger and embracing this 'youth' lifestyle. Maybe this advanced growth and infantilising is closing in as the social gap between generations is becoming less important. 

Link Refreshment

This is a refreshment of the links you can access to view other responses, I have only posted a few:

Facebook Page

Mumsnet Talk One

Mumsnet Talk Two

Yahoo Answers Question - How Old Is Too Old To Have A Child?

Yahoo Answers Question - Is Age Really Just a Number?

Yahoo Answers Question - Growing Old Gracefully In Our Society.

Yahoo Answers Question - Do You Think Children Are Growing Up Too Fast?

Other Facebook Responses : Growing Younger

These images can be clicked on to view the full stories from previous posts on this blog. I have Included some comments made on this evidence from my Facebook group. Below that are a few questions I asked via my Facebook status and Facebook group:

"paedofile heaven...."

"n my view this is totally disgusting and exploitation."

"She looks good and all kids like to dress up in 'mummies clothes and make up' so I am not against kids wearing make up occasionally. However they seem to be using children as models these days in photos and catwalk shows. I understand the whole debate about models being stick thin - blah blah, But surely if designers are trying to sell clothes to the adult market - i.e. the ones that earn the money to buy the clothes, regardless of the age wearing them. Then they should have people in this age group advertising them."

How do you feel about these young? Elle Fanning, 13 is the face of Marc by Marc Jacobs, is this too young?

"Definitely."

"Not selling it to me, If he wants a 13 year old market thats the way to go."

"Totally agree with this article! However it is something that is to far gone and wont change."

"That has nothing to do with her age - I think it just looks ridiculous regardless!"

"he shouldn't be wearing clothes like that because they are ugly, however, she feels sexy dressed like that so that's up to her! Surely it's discrimination not to allow her in and ban her!"

"She does look 'cheap' in what she is wearing, but that is not to say that I or anyone else has the right to dictate to her what she can and cannot wear - she should be able to wear what she feels comfortable in"

At what age do you feel it is acceptable to give a child/teenager their first mobile phone?

"10/11..When you need to give them that little bit of freedom, but still be able to get in touch.."

"my little girl got hers at the age of 6"

"When they start secondary school, or even a year or so later. I got my first phone the Christmas after I started secondary school and barely used it. I certainly didn't need one before then. I used to phone my friends on their landlines. Parents should not use the excuse of 'having a mobile phone' to let their young children go off by themselves."

Images: Referenced in link given

Third Image: BBC News - Survey: Most parents concerned over child sexualisation. 2011. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13034053. [Accessed 22 February 2012].

Open Question Responses : Growing Younger

For lots of my questions for this survey I decided to open them up or extend them for further opinion, I am going to include some of these responses below.

Do you think children are growing up too fast? Why do you think this is?

"Media has big influence, and the growing urge to be an 'adult'"

"Advertising and tv, gaming etc available to children, children left to their own devices more as both parents work, pier pressure, adult fashion available in child sizes"

"Sexually aware from too young an age, bombarded with media - images, music etc."

Do you think the age of consent makes any difference to the age people actually lose their virginity?

"This matters less and less with every passing day. It was more of a taboo to have a child when you are under the age of consent, especially with religious ramifications but nowadays this matters little. It's perceived more as a target than a law in school with children, a guideline at best."

"I think your upbringing/family relationshis will impact this decision more than a law."

"I don't think you can put an age on it, by putting an age on it in the first place it applies sunconcious pressure onto youngsters that at 16 they should be sexually active."

(Do you think people are staying younger as they grow old?) Explain your reason.

"Many parents dressing in exactly the same way as their children - not necessarliy a good thing! Parents treating children as their 'mates' - eg playing Call of Duty with their 5 year old son (Dad and son bonding, is a real example)"

"People these days want to look younger, but are not prepared to look after them selfs. Seems to be all about quick fix, sadly."

"30/40 year olds are often embracing the younger lifestyle - going out more, partying, travelling, etc, whereas forty or fifty years ago, those in that age bracket would have stayed at home."

(To what extend do you agree with the phrase 'growing old gracefully' in our day and age?) Further thoughts on 'growing old gracefully':

"Many people do not come to terms with ageing and will have a lot of surgery to keep their looks"

"not done so well these days"

"I agree with the idea of growing older gracefully, but in society we embrace plastic surgery, botox, etc, and living a younger lifestyle, so I think the idea is dying out."

Other Thoughts?

"We need to learn acceptance. We grow old, our interests change, and our bodies change, but basically we are the same people we were as kids, but with less inhibitions."

"Society increasingly 'youth orientated' which actually seems to meen kids growing up while parents don't, hence blurring of the lines."

Age Children Start Drinking

I asked two questions for this. It is become apparent that children are drinking at a younger age, but I want to see just how young people think this is. I have asked the question at what age did you start drinking, and at what age do young people start to drink nowadays. From these results you can compare the ages between the two diagrams, of the people who took this survey that they started drinking ranged from 12-18 (all still under the legal age). The age however that they think people start drinking now is 2 or three years younger, ranging from 10-15 (even younger than the legal age).

Images: Authors own

Cosmetic Surgery to Stay Younger

I asked the question, 'would you consider cosmetic surgery to stay young as you grow older'?  Just under 70% said no, this really surprised me. As we become more advanced in technology more people are having surgery to alter their appearance. I am surprised more people haven't answered yes to this instead of the 17% which did alongside the 17% that said they don't know.

Image: Authors own

Growing Younger Results

I asked the questions 'do you think people are staying younger as the grow old' and 'do you think children are growing up too fast'? From these questions I gave a choice of answers, Yes, No and Unsure. Most people in my survey think that children are growing up too fast and over half believe that people are staying younger as they grow old.

Images: Authors own

Growing Younger : Who Took This Survey

These two diagrams are the results of who from my network filled out my third survey. The same principles apply when looking at these two diagrams and the diagrams from 'Age to Have Children : Who Took This Survey'. I had a higher percentage of females, a wide spread age range but with a cluster in the lower region.

Images: Authors own

Growing Younger Concept

One of my three subcategories is Growing Younger, I just wanted to explain the concept behind this before posting my results, just to make it crystal clear. Growing Younger is the title I have given to the idea that children are growing up too fast and adults are infantilising. 

Other Facebook Responses : Age Gaps

This image can be clicked on to view the full story from previous posts on this blog. I have Included some comments made on this of evidence from my Facebook group. Below that are other questions I asked via my Facebook status and Facebook group.

"Don't really care...each to their own. The older you get the age gap does get smaller. Where I do struggle with it, is what is their common conversation point?? "

"What is she thinking? just because you can, does it mean you should? when she wants kids..will he be at that point in his life?..Look at Demi and Ashton. I haven't seen this woman/ boy relationship ever work...You should never go out with someone you could have given birth to!"

"f you love someone, you love someone. I think its hard for people to understand relationships like this from the outside but I guess its different of you are the people in the relationship. I think they know their relationship is 'wrong' by many peoples perspectives due to their age but you cant help who you fall in love with."

When looking at age gaps in relationships, do you feel it is more acceptable for a man or woman 

to date a partner younger than them?

"I think that people have become alot more accepting towards age gap differences, as it is shown more publicly, with celebrities such as Aston and Demi, as there was a large age gap. Also there are programmes such as cougar town and things, making it alot more acceptable so people understand!"

"I don´t think it makes any difference if it is the man or the woman who is older. It all has to do with compatability and personality and if they suit each other rather than age."


Image: Referenced in Image link.

Eliminated Questions and Answers

Some of the questions from my second survey, 'Is age really just a number' had to be eliminated from use in my results. The questions I eliminated were:


How far in years would you personally go when dating someone older or younger than you?
I had to eliminate this one as although I stated in years, some people expressed this with actual ages they would date. For some of the answers such as 20, I was unsure if this was the persons age, or the age gaps, therefor I could not form any results as the response was not clear or consistent.


What is the biggest age gap you have experienced in a relationship?
I meant this as a personal experience, but when talking about this to someone, they thought it had meant witnessed in life. Therefor I had to eliminate the question as responses would not have been reliable and what I was truly after.

Open Question Results : Age Gaps

For most of my questions from my questionnaire entitles 'Is Age Really Just a Number' they were open for opinionated responses. I have decided to include a few of the comments and opinions which I feel are strong or reflect the majorities attitudes:


Do you think your age limits you in certain areas of life? (please specify)
"Not personally, but I think people are discriminated on the terms of age. ie. Judging somebody just because they are younger."
"Yes. In particular clothes. i love some of the things i see in shops but feel i am too old to wear the styles."
"When i was younger yes, but now no"
"I think that age limits you in terms of what you can do legally, and this is because you haven't reached a certain level of maturity. Age also restricts you physically, by preventing you from doing things you could once do. Age also limits what is socially acceptable behaviour, what you could get away with in your 20's in terms of dress and drinking and relationships is likely to be frowned upon in your 40's."


Regarding relationships, what are your views on age gaps? (e.g. how big is to big of an age gap? do you judge? should they be judged? Does it actually matter? etc)
"I think it depends on how old the person is. i.e a 11yr old dating a thirty yr old seems wrong. but possibly a 30yr old dating a 50yr, not so shocking"
"When in school/college, no more than a couple of years. Once adults, more acceptable for a greater gap."
"I think it depends on the individuals and their relationship. I personally would judge if i saw a 20 year old dating a 40 year old because i just don't think it is acceptable. Anything up to 10 years i would consider to be suitable"
"If the two people in the relationship are happy and in love without hurting others then it is nobodys buinsess but their own"
"I do judge age difference as I find it strange because I personally feel a lot different to an older person. I could never be attracted to someone who is similar to my dads age..."


Is age an issue to you when making friends? (please explain)
"Not at all. I have some fantastic friends who are retiring and I consider them just as close to me as those my own age! However, often I find that people my own age are in a similar stage in their life to me and thus are easier to connect with. But not always!!"
"Not at all! People are interesting whatever their age."
"yes, in that you generally look for friends with similar interests and experiences."
"No. What's important is that we click. I've found this usually happens more with people around your own age, as you think the same. But age per se is not an issue."

How Old do You Feel?

I asked this question to see how people view their age based not on the number. I asked the participants how old they felt, gave three choices and gained a fairly even proportion of responses.

Image: Authors own

Is Age Really Just a Number?

I designed this question to gain peoples general attitudes towards age being just a number without attaching it to a specific situation. I posed the statement, 'Age is Just a Number', then I gave them options to choose from and below are the results. 56% agree or strongly agree, which is what I thought would reflect general attitudes towards the statement. I was surprised that 34% disagree to some extent.

Image: Authors own

Age Gaps : Who Took This Survey

These two diagrams are the results of who from my network filled out my second survey. The same principles apply when looking at these two diagrams and the diagrams from 'Age to Have Children : Who Took This Survey'. I had a higher percentage of females, a wide spread age range but with a cluster in the lower region.

Images: Authors own

Facebook Responses : Age to Have Children

These two images can be clicked on to view the full story from previous posts on this blog. I have Included some comments made on these pieces of evidence from my Facebook page.

" This isn't really about age - it is a reflection of a traditional society where only a male son is important. Science has made something possible, which probably it ought not to have."

"This is really sad."

"I agree with her. There is a time for everything. Just because you CAN do something, doesn't mean you should."

"I feel this is unfair on the child and selfish from the parents! You will never see your child grow past the age of maybe 20?! I think there is an age limit and a menopause for a reason, who wants to be a 70yr old mum the day your child turns 13?"

"Will she still be alive to see her child get married or have children?? or will it push a teenage pregnancy so she can be a grandmother?"

Top Image: Referenced in Image link.

Bottom Image: Print screen from: Life | Britain's-Oldest-IVF-mum - ITV This Morning . 2011. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.itv.com/thismorning/life/britains-oldest-ivf-mum/. [Accessed 9 February 2012].

Open Question Responses : Age to Have Children

• Here are some qualitative comments from my questionnaire:

What is the youngest you feel acceptable for people to have children?

"When they are in a position to support a child"

"Not sure about acceptble, but personally did not feel ready till late twenties"

"Any age as long as they can support them without help from other or benefits etc..."

What is the oldest you feel is acceptable for people to have a child?

"40ish - being a parent I know how important it is to have the time, the energy and the empathy with...."

If women have passed the menopause do you feel they should be eligible for IVF?

"If a woman has finished her periods then it is natures way of saying she cant have any more. Exeption would be if a woman went through it at a very early age."

"It's selfish and unfair on the child. They are only thinking about themselves, birth is a natural process."

"I feel its up to the individual - some people who have had the menopause are still physically able to run around after small children, but I feel that those candidates for IVF after the menopause do need to seriously consider whether they'd be able to be their child's main carer both physically and mentally."

• Here are a few comments I received on Yahoo Answers when asking:

How Old is too Old to Have a Child?

"When you reach 35, you become much too old"

"For woman is age 37+ For man 48+"

"I think it's no one's business but their own. If they want a kid, they can have one since they're the ones who are going to be taking care of it."

• Some of the responses I gained from first post on Mumsnet when asking

In your opinion how young is too young to have a baby?

"Under 20, but preferably wait till at least nearer 30"

"As long as they have a mature attitude and are financially stable age is just a number"

"When you get to my age (older than God) you get a little less opinionated about this sort of thing, i find."

In your opinion how old is too old to have a baby?

"I think after natural menopause is probably a bad idea."

"Depends on the person, but definitely after natural menopause (presuming not v early)"

• Some more responses from Mumsnet, this time from my second post:

In your opinion how young is acceptable to have a baby?

"It depends on the individual. In my case teens and early 20s would have been too young because I didn't feel ready."

"Arbitrarily I think probably once you are out of your teens so 20 I guess. I waited until I had finished university, but I think midtwenties is the ideal age."

Other Thoughts?

"I don't think there is a "right" age for a woman to have a baby. I think a lot comes down to the individual and her circumstances at the time."

Oldest Age to Have Children

These are the results from my first survey looking at the other end of the spectrum of age to have a child. As you can see the oldest age that people want to parent varies to the age that they feel is acceptable. The number of ages covers the same range but people feel it is more acceptable to have a child 10 years later than they would personally go. The majority think it is acceptable to have children between 45 and 50, but when asked how old they would personally go they chose 35-40.

When asked if women who have passed the menopause should be eligible for IVF. Below are the results I gained. I was surprised that a quarter of these said it was up to the individual. However, in my qualitative data from opening this question further, many comments said that there should be an exception for women you have gone through the premature menopause, which I didn't state clearly in my question. Apart from this other people said that it is your bodies way of telling you your time is up and that it is selfish and unfair. Some interesting comments were surrounding the fact of funding, many said that IVF should be self funded instead of state funded unless premature menopause took place.

Images: Authors own

Youngest Age to Have Children Results

These are the results I gained from my first survey in regards to the youngest age to have a child. I asked parents or expectant parents when they had their first child, an non-parents when they would like to have their first if they do. I have put on the bar charts on the same axis to make it easier to compare the three. It is quite interesting to see the difference between the age that parents became parents to the age that non-parents would like to parent. You can see that people parent over a variety of ages, but most people want to parent (who are not already a parent) between 25-30. From the results in the bottom diagram I can see that the 'acceptable youngest age' to have a child ranges from 16-25.

Images: Authors own

Age to Have Children : Who Took This Survey

These two diagrams are the results of who from my network filled out my first survey. These decreased by 1 or 2 as each survey that was issued, but generally the results contain similar numbers, genders and percentages with minute differences. As you can see, the majority of my participants were female. I had a vast range of ages, but a cluster of people around the age of 20. I tried to gain more weak-ties but even though I had, my friends, friends of friends and so on are of a similar age to me (I am 20 and female). Although I have the cluster in the lower age range, at least I managed to gain a vast variety of ages. I would have also like to have got feedback from the older generations, this has probably not happened as my survey was created using SurveyMonkey, an online method; which the older generations maybe don't use as much as the younger generations. Also as you can see from this previous post that only a minute percentage of Facebook and Twitter users are over 65, and these were my main sources I used to get my survey's viewed.

Images: Authors own

Results

I gained a significant amount of respondents for my survey's. Starting from 42 to 39. They decreased as each one was created, not by many but this could have been because my network was slowly becoming disinterested in my research area and overloaded with questions.

My Presentation : Less is More

For my presentation, I have decided to keep it minimal in design, so not to distract from the viewers attention. I have also decided to keep visuals to a maximum and writing to a minimum. This is because lots of text can be daunting on a viewer, they can get detracted from what I am actually saying and visuals make it more aesthetically pleasing and easier to look at. The text I do want to communicate I will do so verbally, so that the audience do not get bored reading, and can sit back and just take it in. Here are a few of my slides to display my minimalistic design:

Images: Print screens from PowerPoint presentation.

Slide by Slide

This is a slide by slide plan of my presentation, this will ensure I stick to my plan and include all the information needed:

Images: Authors own

Presentation Plan

This is a quick list of what I need to include in my presentation. If I stick to this I should be able to include all the vital information and stay on track.

Image: Authors own

Email Interview Response

I was able to obtain an response from the woman I came across on Mumsnet. It was beneficial to see results from someone who has experienced negativity due to her age. From talking to people and scanning through my 'Age to Have Children' survey, many have said that 20 is young, but not to young to have children. I wonder why she aimed such discrimination, especially from the older generations who previously were married with chidden at a younger age that the current generation. (You can click on the email response to zoom in.) It was interesting that her doubts about becoming a mum where more to due with her individual situation, not actually her age. She feels she received negativity due to the portrayal of 'youth' in the media 'We aren't all drunken, staggering idiots with ASBOs'. She gained abuse for 'being a drain on resources, getting pregnant just because I want a house'. Why though, just because you are younger does it mean you are starting a family for any other reason, that people who may be older? The interviewee said she even 'stopped wearing make-up and cut my hair' just to look older, to stop the discrimination.

Image: Print screen from personal email

Why Pillar Box

I haven't included a reasoning for the title of this blog. I initially gave my blog this title as a starting point and once I had chosen a research area I was going to change the name. But, I couldn't create a capturing title which related to my research area and mission statement of 'Is Age Really Just a Number'. So i decided to stick with 'Pillar Box'. A Pillar Box is another word for a post box and I chose this to communicate this blog as a research file, a place to collect and 'deliver' my research and finding in 'posts' to an audience, an online way of communication, an update from the traditional form.

Image: Authors own

Understanding the Importance of Weak-Ties : 'The Strength of Weak Ties

"People weren't getting their jobs through their friends. They were getting them through their acquaintances. Why is this? Granovetter argues that it is because when it comes to finding out about new jobs -- or, for that matter, new information, or new ideas -- "weak ties" are always more important than strong ties. Your friends, after all, occupy the same world that you do. They might work with you, or live near you, and go to the same same churches, schools, or parties. How much, then, would they know that you wouldn't know? Your acquaintances, on the other hand, by definition occupy a very different world than you. They are much more likely to know something that you don't. To capture this apparent paradox, Granovetter coined a marvellous phrase: the strength of weak ties. Acquaintances, in short, represent a source of social power, and the more acquaintances you have the more powerful you are."

I think this book extract reiterates the importance of weak-ties in a generalised format. People we know, know people we know and the same things we know, so when finding a job the people we know would be un-benificial. This translates to networks using the same concept.

Book Extract: Malcolm Gladwell, 2001. The Tipping Point, How Little Things Can Make a Difference. New Edition. Little Brown & Co.