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?

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

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

Refining my Question

So, it's pretty obvious that the title question for my area of research is 'Is Age Really Just a Number'. From this starting point I have looked into many of the subquestions that this could stem off towards:

• Too old to be doing certain things?
• How old is too old to be living at home?
• Does your age limit your lifestyle?
• Are children growing up to quickly?
• Are you scared of getting old? 
• What age to have children?
• How big is too big of an age gap?

From these many subareas of discussion I have chosen three to focus on, so that I can concentrate my processes onto my main areas:

• Age to have children - e.g. How old is too old, How young is acceptable, Does it actually matter, should women be eligible for IVF after menopause?

• Growing Younger - e.g. Are children growing up to quickly, What age are children drinking, Are adults trying to cling to their youth, Does out society embrace growing old naturally.

• Age Gaps - e.g How big is too big of an age gap, Does it matter in a relationships or friendships, Does it make a difference the male or female is older?

Quote

I love this quote, it dismisses age as an irrelevant number. It is good to see someone who embraces looking good at no matter what age. She is rumoured to have had plastic surgery but swears against this. Maybe she is just lucky but generally nowadays, why don't people want to grow old gracefully? (This was created by myself in Adobe Illustrator.)


Image: Authors own

One Final Questionnaire

I have created one final Questionnaire to help me conclude some answers towards my final presentation. This survey has been created to gain some answers on the subject of children growing up too fast and people growing younger as they get older.

Zeitgeist

The dictionary provides the definition of the zeitgeist as defining the mood or spirit of a particular period in history. Zeitgeist translates from German pronunciation to 'spirit of the age' or 'spirit of the times'. The zeitgeist is the ideas and beliefs of the time; it is the general cultural, intellectual, ethical, spiritual climate of this period including morals, social culture, and mood associated with this era. 

Translating this to my work, I believe that my topic of age is a relevant and current affair within our time. My evidence which has been posted throughout this blog shows this. As technology and medicine advance people are living longer and healthier lifestyles. Technology also allows women to become pregnant nearly whenever they want, this means women are leaving it till later and often when classed as 'too late' (after menopause) a child is attainable. A increase in plastic surgery shows women changing their appearance to appear younger. Children are seen to be growing up too fast whilst adults are embracing the younger way of living and the social and mental age gap is closing between the generations. The concept of age being just a number is not new and is always open for debate. I feel I will gain some great results as most people have something to say about my mission statement 'Is Age Really Just A Number'?


Image: Authors own

Facebook Question Response

From talking to people in the past and iscussing this topic previous to this module I noticed that people were more excepting of a man dating someone younger than a woman (depending on the age of the individuals and the age gaps). So I wanted to gain some opinions on this question. Is it more acceptable for a man for woman to date someone younger?

The male tends to be older in relationships with age gaps, but from these responses it is becoming more acceptable for the age gap to be reversed. This acceptance reflect our zeitgeist, 'the spirit of the age' of our time. 

Images: Print screen from: Facebook. 2012. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.facebook.com/groups/343006375732948/. [Accessed 17 February 2012].

Opinions

I received this email in response to my groups and pages set up for Is Age Really Just a Number. (click on image to view in detail).

This suggests that most people feel Age is just a state of mind, with only physically restrictions. This email also raises the point that my title is so broad that more questions are raised instead of answered. So I am going to think of a better way to sub categorise this title so I can gain official results instead of data.


Image: Authors own from email.

Interesting Tweets:

• 9 year olds today have Facebook, Twitter, phones, iPods. When I was their age, I had a coloring book, crayons, chalk, and imagination.
• Maturity does NOT come with age it comes by EXPERIENCE.
• Our mom's husband is half her age...we'll prove he cheats!
• Wow 22 is an early age to get married!!!

• This Maury episode is about age gaps in relationships. I see nothing wrong with somebody is 10 years or older than their significant other.
• Don't see why some people get so funny about age gaps in relationships, if they're over the legal age they aren't doing anything wrong...?
• I really don't know how people date with 10 yr age gaps ... Age really does matter ....

• When you really love someone, age, distance, height and weight is just a number.
• Only kids and perverts who need an excuse to date kids say things like 'age is just a number'.
• MADONNA just proved that age is just a number.