This could be a reflection of society growing more pro-life, which Gallup has reported for a while now. However, the generation billed as the most “socially liberal” is far more pro-life than our parents were at our age.

Today, via Feministing, I saw the results of a survey the Girl Scouts released, Good Intentions: The Beliefs and Values of Tweens and Teens today that surveyed the younger members and complements the Gallup survey.  The Girl Scout survey was actually a better sample than Gallup with 3,263 girls and boys in grades 3-12 who were both in and out of scouting (Gallup only had about 1,000 in the 18-29 cohort). The survey revealed similar findings for the school-aged sample as Gallup did:

Another topic of interest in this survey was youth’s attitudes about abortion. The proportion of 7th- to 12th-graders who agree that abortion is all right is lower today than it was in 1989. Fewer youth today (25%) than in 1989 (33%) believe that “abortion is all right if having a baby will change your life plans in a way you find hard to live with.” Six in ten (60%) disagree that “abortion is all right, if having a baby will change your life plans”. Fifteen percent do not know how they feel about the matter. Boys are more likely than girls to agree that abortion is all right (29% compared to 20%), and as youth get older they are more likely to agree. White (28%) and Asian (35%) youth in this age bracket are more likely than African Americans (15%) to agree with this as well. (emphasis mine.)

What has made this generation–and society overall–more pro-life? Is it the constant presence of abortion in the news? The development of neo-natal medicine or the loudly silent population of 52 million missing people that were killed before they were born?

The poll of 1,800 women approaching the milestone birthday found that 70 per cent considered it to be the right time to put their relationships and personal lives ahead of their careers.

While the women in this survey are few years older than me, they echo my views. There’s nothing wrong with a career as long as you can find balance and keep your priorities straight. Is this backlash against feminism, second (perhaps 3rd wave) feminism or just the fact that young Xers and old Millenials (e.g. me. born between 1980-82), are just radically different than any other generation?

I was raised in an conservative family. My grandmother was a hardened feminist and raised my mom (a boomer) to be one. She rebelled by becoming a homemaker and did her best to instill those values in me. She represents the views of Phyllis Schafley and much of the Religous Right that reigned supreme in the 80s and 90s. While I share the majority of my mom’s views, I think that there are options today that women never had before. Lorraine Candy, editor of British Elle, penned:

Reading the Elle survey, I began to feel sorry for myself. Not because I regret my level of commitment to work – I am very proud of what I have achieved. But I said yes all the time because I felt I ‘had’ to. It was the mind-set of my generation.

Women today grew up with mothers trying to “do it all.” Did that really get them anywhere? When you die, do you want to be surrounded by co-workers and career accomplishments or children and family members? Perceptions have changed. It’s now ok to admit that you want to get married and have children. There’s nothing wrong with it. We also have more options. Technology allows us to telecommute or work flex hours. We’ve also seen a rise in entrepreneurs. Women want successful careers but just on their own terms.

One reason that I chose my career (public relations) was the flexibility that it presented. It’s possible to have a successful side business or work part-time. Given that I’m not married and don’t have children, I have no idea if this will work. However, I’ve tried to make decisions that prioritized my life over my career. I think this is more of a generational marker than a change in feminism. My career isn’t the ultimate goal. Rather, I try to make decisions that will bring happiness and satisfaction to my life.

Now that Millenials are coming of age and Xers are entering their 40s, are things changing? After all, we’ve witnessed the rise of feminism and an it’s effects on society. While I’ll always disagree with feminism over right to life issues, good things did come out of the movement. However, it was too extreme. Perhaps that was needed to equalize society, and my generation is finally striving for balance. As Candy explains:

These women are what has been called by trend forecasters ‘ horizontally ambitious’, seeking fulfilment in all areas rather than just one – readers told us it’s about wanting excellence in every area. But the crucial part of it is being happy.

Millenials seem to be all about balance. Look at the rise of social entrepreneurships(another issue that intrigues me). We want to make money and help the world. The Elle survey isn’t an issue that only effects women. Men now take paternity leave and try to balance their careers. While feminism has changed and shifted over the decades, I think this is more of a generational change than a revolt against the NOW gang.