Seventeen then and now
The basics
Your background |
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| • Then Your social background meant everything. By and large you obeyed anyone higher than you in the social pecking order, addressing them formally by their title, such as Sir, Lord or Mr. It would have been very rare for a 17-year-old – or even anyone older – to move away from their social or religious background, and unusual even to leave their town, city or region. |
• Now Social background still means a lot, as does income bracket (these are no longer synonymous). We are still obsessed with status, but there is much more help available for a teenager who wants to move on up and make something of him- or herself. |
School |
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| • Then At the time of the First World War schooling was compulsory from ages 5 to 12, raising to 14 only in 1918. Very few teenagers would be expecting to go to university, which was generally seen as the preserve of the rich and privileged. |
• Now Since 1972, education has been compulsory from ages 5 to 16. Around 45% of 17-year-olds can look forward to going on to higher education, and the Government intends to boost this to 50% by 2010. |
Work |
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| • Then There was little concept of adolescence for working class young people – they were expected to pay their way and were treated as adults. If you left school as a 13-year-old, you may have earned as little as 5/- or 6/- (that's shillings, to you and me) which translates to 25p to 30p per week. A man may have been paid £1 to £2 per week for a 12-hour day, sinking half of this just in rent. |
• Now You can't start fulltime work until you are 16 years old. The national minimum wage, a legally-controlled rate of pay (updated in October 2005), is £3 an hour for the development of 16/17 year olds, £4.25 an hour for 18- to 21-year-olds and £5.05 an hour for people aged 22 or over. |
Heating and light |
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| • Then Gas lamps, candles and open coal fires provided heat and light. Injuries and deaths due to resultant fires or dangerous fumes were not unusual. |
• Now Electricity is a safer and cleaner form of energy in the home, and central heating is commonplace. |
Communication |
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| • Then Letters or personal visits would have been the norm. Few people would have had a telephone. If you wanted to chat with your mate, you'd have to go out to meet them or they'd have to come round to your place. |
• Now You name it, today's 17-year-old is likely to use it to communicate – whatever the latest technology, be it mobile, fixed-line or internet voice telephony, SMS, 3G, picture messaging or blue tooth. These days, it's harder to keep out of reach than to stay in touch. |
Food |
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| • Then The gas or solid-fuel oven ruled and girls would be expected to learn to cook. |
• Now With microwaves, ready-meals, fast food and restaurants a-plenty, the teenager no longer needs to learn to cook – but it helps, if they want to stay healthy. |
Transport |
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| • Then Few people would have had cars. Certainly, a 17-year-old would be very unlikely even to have access to a car, let alone own one. Bus, train, horse-drawn vehicles (especially in rural areas) and push bikes would have been the norm. 
An apprentice prepares to cycle to work, c.1905 |
• Now The minimum age for driving a car or motorcycle on a British road is 17 years (16 for a moped). Any 17-year-old with a licence can pick up an old banger, or a motorcycle with a hairdryer-sized engine, for a few quid, then they're on the road. |
Soldiers |
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| • Then Even though the minimum age for joining up as a soldier was 18, and recruits had to be 19 before serving abroad, many young boys felt compelled or pressured to lie about their age to take part in military service. Age checks were cursory and War Graves Commission records show that 250,000 underage boys may have lied about their age to enlist. |
• Now You can join the armed forces from the age of 16, but you will need the consent of your parent or guardian if you are under 18. Age checks are rigorous. |