The Twenties Throughout the Ages

I spoke with my grandma and Jerry, her spouse, about what society accepted and didn’t accept when they were twenty.
My grandma said that when she was twenty, women were expected to be living at home with their parents. They might have a job in the city as a secretary or typist. The father was the boss of the house, and he set strict rules for the young women. Any dates had to be brought to him at the house for approval. However, it was inappropriate for the woman to ask the man for a date, because they shouldn’t appear anxious. Women had to play hard to get, but weren’t allowed to flirt or drink excessively. Society was a lot stricter she said. Apparel-wise, women wouldn’t wear a dress without hose, and chewing gum in public was prohibited. A hat was always worn in church, and when going out a woman couldn’t wear anything revealing. It was inappropriate for women to aspire to be professionals, because they were “expected to have children, bring them up to be good Christians, to be seen and not head, to do well in school, and to respect their country.”
Jerry explained to me what was expected of men. The goal was “to finish your service in the military, find an apartment, find a job, meet the right woman, get married, and have children.” After that, twenty year old men would be expected to make enough money to get a house, regardless of how many jobs that required, and make enough money to send their kids to college and live the “American Dream”. The man was the head of the household, and expected the woman to do all the housework and entertain his friends when they visited. However, it was inappropriate to expect the woman to do heavy work. It wasn’t appropriate to expect women to open car or building doors, and the man could not tell colored jokes in front of women. It was inappropriate for men to go out in public shirtless.
I also spoke with my mother and father about life during their twenties.
My dad said that when he was twenty men were expected to go to college, and most men worked during college in order to have spending money. When they lived at home during the summers, men were expected to keep their parents advised at all times of their whereabouts. They were expected to be considerate to family and friends, and there was no sense of entitlement. After college, men were expected to get a job and live on their own. It was not appropriate for men to not have a plan for after college. It was also inappropriate to expect their parents to pay for things after college, although most parents did provide “fallback” support. When men dressed for church and special occasions, it was inappropriate to wear jeans or tshirts. It was also inappropriate for men to be rude or drunk in public, or to cause any sort of argument or scene.
My mom told me she couldn't remember very much about how things were yesterday, let alone when she was twenty! But then she went on to describe a little of what she did remember. She said women weren't expected to go to college. Also, it was extremely inappropriate according to society for women to get pregnant and be a single mom on their own. Living together with a boyfriend and not being married was also inappropriate. In public, bra straps were extremely inappropriate!
Many things have changed in society today for twenty year olds. Rules in society have become more unisex, meaning there is less of a separate list for men and women. Women have become more equal with men as well, and are now expected to go to college and hold a career just as much as any man. Women dress more freely, and I certainly see a lot of bra straps in public! Also, formal events and church have gotten less dress code strict, as it's become acceptable at times to substitute slacks or a dress for a nice pair of jeans and a nice top. Women no longer do all the work in the household, and men are no longer the sole provider for the house. Basically, society has become more liberal and twenty year old men and women have become more equal since my parents and grandmother were twenty. I am extremely happy that things have changed, because I certainly could never imagine sitting at home all day doing nothing but cleaning and cooking...that would be horrible.