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."

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."

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."

Developing a Questionnaire

I will be creating a few questionnaires to gain results which I can clearly collect, organise and analyse data received. I have decided to develop a few questionnaires to gain different typed of data:

• Quantitative data. This is data is classed in numerical forms such as percentages and statistics. To gain this information I will be asking the genders and ages of the participants of the survey. This way I can see how fair or unfair my questionnaires results are and discover why my results are so. I will be asking a few opinions by giving a statement and seeing to what extend people agree. This will enable me to compare more easily the different attitudes towards these subject areas in statistical ratio form. This can be portrayed in graph form.
• Qualitative data (data categorised with describing meaning, rather than statistics). To gain this type of answer I will be asking open questions to receive individuals opinions. This will enable people to have free range and may even give me insights into the topic I have not yet thought of. These opinions can then be mapped by choosing the most commonly said views and rewriting this as a majority verdict. 

When writing my questionnaire I need to make sure my questions are clear and precise. This is so that people taking the survey do not get disinterested and exit before completion. It also will ensure that my results are what I am looking for and people haven't given the wrong answer due to their confusion. When giving options for answers which need selecting I need to make sure that the options do not overlap and that their is always an option result that anyone can choose.

I will be creating my questionnaire using SurveyMonkey this is an online software tool in which you can create surveys, collect responses and analyse results.  

Image: Wufoo Blog · Holy Donkey Kong! SurveyMonkey Acquires Wufoo!. 2011. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.wufoo.com/2011/04/25/wufoo-surveymonkey-acquisition/. [Accessed 03 March 2012].