- teens today do not grow up in the traditional 1950's style household where dad works and mom stays home and cares for the house and kids. More and more teens these days grow up in a household with either a single parent or with both parent figures spending most of their time working to make enough money to survive
- There is a LOT more violent atmosphere across the US today than there used to be. yes there was always violence but it was in scattered pockets.... today's teen no matter where you are living in the states or abroad, are exposed either through tv, games or actual life experience, in a much more violent soci.
- both teen males and females mature physically, emotionally and intellectually much faster than their 1950's counterparts. I would say that more than 80% of modern 14 year olds (male and female) are more sexually active than their 18 year old 1950's counterparts
To add some context from what Dabawss is saying, since you're going to need citations for your homework assignment:
1. At present date, about 70% of children in the United States live with both parents, compared to around 85% in 1960 (unfortunately data from 1950 was harder to find) according to the US census. However, the number of double-income households went from 25% to 60% from 1960 to present.
2. According to the Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics, murder and manslaughter rates are actually below their 1960 rates; robbery and aggravated assault are up. Rape is tricky, but in general the FBI believes rape has gone down, but reporting and classification has gone up. The act of spousal rape, for example, was legal in many places for a long time, so while the number of crimes committed technically went up, the instance of rape did not; they were just actually being counted for once. Suffice it to say, you are less likely to be raped, murdered, or killed in a rage than you were in 1960, but more likely to get involved in a fight or have something stolen. Your home, however, is less likely to be invaded, and vehicle theft is about the same, although they have risen as car ownership has risen as well.
3. The onset of puberty has started almost five years earlier among westerners as it did in 1920; while puberty started at around 14-15 back then, it starts at around 10-11 today, give or take location. However, the average American does not lose their virginity until they are 17 and a half years old. This is higher than it used to be. However, they are much more likely to use contraceptives and are much less likely to become pregnant - the teen birth rate in in the 1950s for a teenager was around 80 out of every 1,000 women. Present day, this number has cut down to below 40. In addition, significant research has shown that the vast majority of sexual contact for people under the age of 15 is non-consensual.
Sources: US Census Data, UCRS from the FBI, and the NCHS Data Brief
