On Hack (JJJ) today the whole program was dedicated to looking at the paradox of my generation – the “Choice Generation”.  Hack reported on a generation that is well educated and geographically mobile, and that has delayed the traditional milestones of adulthood such as marriage and parenthood.  Yet despite having more freedom and opportunity than any previous generation, people in their late 20s and early 30s are feeling anxious and stressed by the pressure to do and have everything.  The choice to make the right decision and take advantage of what’s on offer is a burden.  With so much on offer, we are torn.

On average in this generation:

• 8 out of 10 will complete Year 12 – most of these will go on to further study
• we will have stayed at each job for about 2 years so far, and we will have about 20 employers in our lifetime within five diffrerent careers (which we will retrain for)
• we are more likely to have rented than owned and therefore have moved lovation a couple of times
• overseas travel and careers are expected
• marriage and children are occuring about seven years later than they did for our parents – on average we’ll start having children when the woman is 31 and the man is 33

Apparently we’re also quite socially progressive…but is my generation also selfish?  Spoiled?  Reluctant to delay gratification?

Looks like Saturn’s Return, currently playing at the Wharf 2 Theatre (Sydney Theatre Compnay) explores similar themes:

Tommy Murphy’s new play is grounded in observable reality: people’s lives do have a tendency to shift in their mid-late 20s/early-mid 30s…Growing up, or not, is the point celebrated, delayed, mythologised and avoided in this psychologically deft and satisfying work.