When my grandmother was my age (37, in the 70s), she had:
A high school diploma with an emphasis in home Ec (no typing, no shorthand, nothing that equipped her to support herself)
Two children, aged 18 and 17 and two step-children, aged 17 and 15
One shotgun marriage to and eventual divorce from a struggling farmer and a second marriage to another struggling farmer, with all of the stress and financial insecurity that farming brings
Was working as 1) a hair dresser, and being exposed to the toxicity that was 1970s perms and dyes while standing all day and without repetitive stress protection or anything like anti-fatigue mats to prevent varicose veins and 2) moonlighting as a bartender to make ends meet
A farm that was barely staying afloat thanks to the Nixon Administration's dismantling of the Great Depression era's farm supports
Had been in menopause for several years because her doctor decided that two children were enough for her and performed a hysterectomy on her in her late 20s without informing her. (Not that she objected, but still...)
A diet and fitness routine that revolved around fads and corsetry and involved too much yoyoing and too little actual exercise, which would ultimately lead to diabetes, osteoporosis and heart and respiratory diseases
Undiagnosed and untreated ADD and depression as well as situational anxiety
Lost several teeth to decay caused by a combination of untreated well water, a poor diet as a Depression era child, and lack of effective dentistry
I have:
One marriage, that I entered late and after living with my partner for several years
No divorces
No unplanned children (or children of any sort except for the fur-bearing sort) (thank you, contraception!)
A bachelor's and a pair of master's
A career that lets me work with my brain instead of my body and that can support me, my partner and our fur-babies into retirement and beyond
Savings that do not depend on whether it rained last summer
Income that doesn't depend on the weather or toxic chemicals
A partner who supports my career and my abilities in my field and is comfortable in his own field
Time, leisure and money to stay in shape, eat well, and not feel like I'm under the whip every minute of the day
Medications that work for my disorders, both physical and mental, and the ability to discuss them with my doctors without being dismissed as "female troubles"
Safer cars, more reliable phone and power lines, clean municipal water with fluoride, better public transit, the ability to bike almost everywhere I want to go
When my grandmother got pregnant with my mother, she was just out of high school in the 1950s and was given only two choices -- marry her high school lover or go to another state to give up her baby for adoption. I have reason to believe that my grandmother did take that second option after she divorced my grandfather, though no way to confirm it. (She disappeared for a year when my mother was 6. No explanation has ever been given.) She was discouraged from pursuing a career, though few were available to her.
I am absolutely better off.
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