'Are you richer than your parents?' Poll discussion

I'm over 50 and they were better-off at my age I would say. If my mother had worked full-time (which she could well have done at my age - as both her children had "flown") then they would have been rather substantially better-off. Even with my mother only doing a part-time job on womans wages - I reckon they probably had noticeably higher income than me - (aided by the lower tax they would have paid - with the Married Persons Tax Allowance - called "Married Womans Tax Allowance" if my memory serves me aright?).

Though my parents went through phases of low income - it took a lot of doing before they realised I cant afford things they would have been able to in my position.

If my father was still working now he would be on MUCH better salary than my low-level apology for a salary - and I know (out of my parents) that he sympathises with me being on such low money/knows that he'd loathe being on such poor salary himself and understands. My mother doesnt quite "get it" that my salary is way too low - but thats because she's thinking like a 1950s housewife and still, at some level, thinks its okay for a woman to be earning a pathetic income!!!!! - even though its been such a constant struggle to live on it.

Their house was (still is - as its still the same house) much better than mine. Mine is a tiny little terrace house in a "halfway house" sort of area (ie some people I know - and others I certainly DONT want to know). Their house is a reasonable size detached house in a decent area (no troublemakers either living there or using it as a route to elsewhere):(:cry:.

Think thats the single thing I miss most about the "standard of living" I expected to have by my age - living in a decent house in a decent area. I just have to console myself with "at least I can still retire at my expected retirement age" - I honestly couldnt handle the thought of having to cope with carrying on working in retirement - so I've fought really hard to make sure that that at least goes according to expectation/plan.

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I'm trying to follow the reasoning as to why this question was asked.?

In my own case - as a middle-aged woman - the reason why my standard of living is so much lower than my parents one was at my age probably boils down to the fact that I was brought up by my mother to be a 1950s housewife - but didnt get married. If I had got married - then I would have an equivalent standard of living. If I had been brought up by my father alone - I would have an equivalent standard of living (as I would have a much better job - he'd have made sure of it! <grin>)

I think what this poll is trying to establish is whether a younger generation is worse off than an older generation. Well I give above the reason why things will be "skewed" a bit in the case of some middle-aged women - ie one or both of their parents bringing them up with an expectation of being financially supported by a husband (so that person has done worse personally than they would have done if they'd been brought up by two people from my generation). I very much expect that any woman brought up by two parents from the current middle-aged agegroup has been brought up by them without any expectation of financial support from a husband - ie BOTH sexes are expected to be financially self-sufficient. That wasnt the case for many woman in my agegroup (my mother didnt expect me to have to be).

On a different tack - I would imagine that many middle-aged people are sacrificing income one way or another to the demands of being a carer (again - probably the women in this generation getting it in the financial "neck" again). There arent many young people sacrificing any income they could earn because of that.