Financial independence at 20?
I would suggest that a major reason Men Are no longer men is because Women will not allow it.
They what you to be steadfast, but spontaneous, tough, but sensitive, a rock and a willow.
Fix the car and be able to bake a cherry pie.
Of course 20 something women have long let go of notions of ponies and princes.
I think KAY S. HYMOWITZ never grew up.
A lot of it just simply has to do with the fact that the price of attaining adulthood has shot out of sight.
It used to be that a young man could get an entry level position job, straight out of high school, and work himself upwards and get the education and training along the way. Now, businesses demand a university diploma before they will even look at a resume and a master’s devree before they will consider you for a well-paying job. Consequently, even if a person has the drive and ambition to get that Master’s degree, straight out of high school, and attains it at about 23 years of ago, that person is starting out $100 grand in debt, or more. He now will have to spend the next 7 years, minimally, paying it off without being able to achieve any of the other adult goals. So this person will be about 30 years of age before he can really start to move ahead.
.
Have to have that 4000 square foot house. Have to have the BMW and Suburban. Have to be beautiful. Have to have the vacation in Barbados. And have to have them right away. You don’t have them? You’re falling behind! Husband and wife work. Damn the kids! You need stuff! Hugh Heffner, Hollywood and Madison Avenue have us chasing our tails.