The Most Underrepresented Group in the White House: The Youth

[ashraya.ananth]

Good evening, friends and colleagues!

I would like to approach you with a crucial issue that our governmental bodies are facing today--a biased demographic, in an underrepresentation of one of the largest and most integral segments of our population: the youth. Please help me advocate for this cause by signing the petition on We the People at https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/most-underrepresented-group-white-house-youth. Thank you very, very much for your support!

[Ten oz]

There are a myriad of reasons for the under representation. The top 3 reasons are that younger voters do not participate at the same rates, there are various age requirements for positions, and it takes time  to develop experience. Also youth can be a relative thing. Starting with the founding of the U.S. and extending till after the Civil War the average age in Congress was 44yrs of age. In the House specifically it was 42yrs of age. By today's standards that is relatively young. The average age in congress currently is nearly 60yrs of age and the House has averaged over 60yrs of age since 2003. Life expectancy use to be shorter though. In a sense 60 is the new 40, average age of Congress by year. Not just that but your link lists 18-25yrs as youths. What it is to be 25yrs old in 2018 is significantly different than it was in 1900. For starters the median age of Marriage today is 28yrs of age up from 22yrs of age in 1900. People in the 18-25yr old demo are less independent and moving towards adulthood slower than they use to, Here. That isn't a bad thing it just highlights the fact that how one defines being young as a political demographic can be relative. A 25yr old a hundred years ago would have been view more like a 35yr old is today. 

[ashraya.ananth]

@Ten oz Thank you very much for your comments!

Are you aware that, in the midterm elections, Millennial voters were the most influential segment of the population? "...more than 3.3 million voters for the 18-29 age group voted early — a 188 percent increase from 2014. In battleground states, youth turnout was even higher: in Texas and Georgia, early turnout by 18-29 year olds was up by a whopping 500 percent in the days before the election, according to The Independent." Younger voters are beginning to take action, because it is becoming increasingly easier to gain the experience necessary to position oneself as a leader, both in corporate and social frameworks. In addition, the Millennials are realizing how much bias from previous generations is playing into the decisions being made that will, essentially, only affect Millennials and generations after. 

As for your comments regarding the marriage age being delayed in today's generation, I completely agree that it has gone up from past decades. However, I do not think that your reasoning is entirely accurate for it. The delay in marriageable age is not occurring as a result of delayed progression into adulthood. Rather, it occurs as a result of younger individuals, in that age range of 18-25, recognizing the need to establish themselves in the corporate framework. This involves gaining experience, through educational and professional endeavors, as well as gaining prominence in the workforce. In fact, this is evidence towards the ability for the youth to cognitively process mature life decisions at an earlier rate than generations prior. Therefore, the life experience they necessitate will also be something they acquire earlier than other generations have. 

I do agree that political demographic ages are relative. In fact, I think this point of yours is exactly why the youth need to be represented more vividly in the government today. Three generations ago, youth between 18-25 were incapable, or at least less capable, of having full cognizance of the necessary skills to lead a nation. Today, more than 60% of the public believes that youth would be more capable of handling situations we face today in political environments than previous generations. Their reasoning is rather simple, as well. Three decades ago, less than six percent of individuals were amenable to the concept of interracial marriages, where the Millennial generation has over eighty-five percent of supporters for the concept. Similar ratios apply for leadership positions given to women. Biases and discrimination are dying out in the Millennial generation, and only a group that has grown up knowing a discrimination-free environment will be able to act without that bias playing in entirely. The youth are the step forward to bring resolution to a large number of the political and social issues we face within the nation today.  

[Ten oz]

29 minutes ago, ashraya.ananth said:

Are you aware that, in the midterm elections, Millennial voters were the most influential segment of the population? "...more than 3.3 million voters for the 18-29 age group voted early — a 188 percent increase from 2014. In battleground states, youth turnout was even higher: in Texas and Georgia, early turnout by 18-29 year olds was up by a whopping 500 percent in the days before the election, according to The Independent." Younger voters are beginning to take action, because it is becoming increasingly easier to gain the experience necessary to position oneself as a leader, both in corporate and social frameworks. In addition, the Millennials are realizing how much bias from previous generations is playing into the decisions being made that will, essentially, only affect Millennials and generations after. 

Millennials are 22-38yrs of age not 18-29yrs of age. 

Quote

 

The majority of researchers and demographers start the generation in the early 1980s, with some ending the generation in the mid-1990s. Australia's McCrindle Research[26] uses 1980–1994 as Generation Y birth years. A 2013 PricewaterhouseCoopers[27] report used 1980 to 1995. Gallup Inc.,[28][29][30] and MSW Research[31] use 1980–1996. Ernst and Young uses 1981–1996.[32]

A 2018 report from Pew Research Center defines millennials as born from 1981 to 1996, choosing these dates for "key political, economic and social factors", including September 11th terrorist attacks. This range makes Millennials 5 to 20 years old at the time of the attacks so "old enough to comprehend the historical significance." Pew indicated they would use 1981 to 1996 for future publications but would remain open to date recalibration. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennials

 

 

32 minutes ago, ashraya.ananth said:

As for your comments regarding the marriage age being delayed in today's generation, I completely agree that it has gone up from past decades. However, I do not think that your reasoning is entirely accurate for it. The delay in marriageable age is not occurring as a result of delayed progression into adulthood. Rather, it occurs as a result of younger individuals, in that age range of 18-25, recognizing the need to establish themselves in the corporate framework. This involves gaining experience, through educational and professional endeavors, as well as gaining prominence in the workforce. In fact, this is evidence towards the ability for the youth to cognitively process mature life decisions at an earlier rate than generations prior. Therefore, the life experience they necessitate will also be something they acquire earlier than other generations have.

I agree. It is taking people longer in life to get started and accomplish things than it use to. Even the average age of individuals in the Military is increasing. No experience of higher education is needed to join the military so those factors do not account for the increase in age.  http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2011/10/05/chapter-6-a-profile-of-the-modern-military/  

44 minutes ago, ashraya.ananth said:

I do agree that political demographic ages are relative. In fact, I think this point of yours is exactly why the youth need to be represented more vividly in the government today. Three generations ago, youth between 18-25 were incapable, or at least less capable, of having full cognizance of the necessary skills to lead a nation. Today, more than 60% of the public believes that youth would be more capable of handling situations we face today in political environments than previous generations. Their reasoning is rather simple, as well. Three decades ago, less than six percent of individuals were amenable to the concept of interracial marriages, where the Millennial generation has over eighty-five percent of supporters for the concept. Similar ratios apply for leadership positions given to women. Biases and discrimination are dying out in the Millennial generation, and only a group that has grown up knowing a discrimination-free environment will be able to act without that bias playing in entirely. The youth are the step forward to bring resolution to a large number of the political and social issues we face within the nation today.  

I do not agree with this. Today 18-25yr old's are less experienced in be responsible for others. Less 18-25yr old today are parents, married, full time employees, serving in the military, and etc than 3 generations ago. When my Mother was 25yrs old she had already been married 5yrs, had 2 child, owned a house, and was 6yrs into the career she'd eventually retire from. That was not uncommon for her generation but is very rare for people in their early 20's today. Youth is no guarantee of innovation and old age is no guarantee of efficiency or experience. Atthe end of the day individual people must be evaluated individually.