Everett, Wash.
Published: Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Disadvantaged kids, too, deserve a shot at success

By Marilyn Watkins

 My son moved out last weekend. Like many of his friends, Carl came back home when he graduated from college 13 months ago. In January, he landed an entry-level job in his chosen profession, earning pretty decent wages and benefits. He started scanning apartment ads then, but the right neighborhood at an affordable price was more important to him than leaving the nest.

Much has been written about Generation Y. An Internet search produces articles variously proclaiming today's 20-somethings to be more philanthropic, more focused on pursuing wealth, more narcissistic, more tolerant, more independent, and more dependent than earlier generations.

Maybe these generalizations conflict because no generation can be summed up so easily. Yet today's young adults are coming of age in an economy that makes it difficult for many to set out on their own.

About 56 percent of Washington high school graduates go on to some form of higher education the following year. But with tuition increases outpacing financial aid and family incomes, far more college students have to borrow money, and much more of it, than just a decade ago.

Young adults now not only have more debt, but they're likely to face slow income growth. Twenty-somethings in Washington in the mid-1990s experienced rapid wage growth as they gained experience and the economy surged. In comparison, over the past five years pay raises have been small.

Add to that the high cost of housing, the increasing share of health costs being borne by employees, and skyrocketing gas and food prices. It's not surprising that young adults are opting for parents as housemates.

Two of my son's former kindergarten classmates still live within a block of us, and have also remained partially dependent on their parents. Taryn graduated in May 2007 with a degree in chemistry. She has been working in a lab since December but still lives at home. At this point she has no plans to move out. It's just too expensive and she still owes $25,000 in college loans. She'd rather pay that off and save up go to grad school. In contrast, when her father was her age, he was able to buy the house the family still lives in.

Patrick just graduated from the University of Washington. Although he took a year longer than Carl or Taryn to finish college, his degree is in the high demand field of computer science. He was offered a high-salary job several months ago and is preparing to move to San Francisco to start it.

These three young people in many ways epitomize their generation, although they are quite different in personality and reflect the ethnic diversity that enriches the American identity. They all have had the advantages of good health and being raised in economically-secure homes, surrounded by loving families, and enmeshed in a supportive community.

Unfortunately, not every kid grows up with these advantages. According to KidsCount data, in 2006 6 percent of Washington teens were high school drop-outs, 6 percent of kids lived with neither parent, and one in seven had special health needs. Of 18- to 24-year-olds, one-fifth lived in poverty and one-seventh were neither in school nor working.

A report last week on teen prostitution in Seattle documented not only that most had been victims of sexual abuse at home, but that there were few services available to help them find safe housing and counselors. Too often we treat these and other kids who've fled abuse and neglect, or suffer from mental illness, as criminals rather than as the victims they are.

Recent reports have shown inequality is increasing. Incomes of the top fifth are rising, while the bottom and middle are barely keeping up with inflation. Carl, Taryn and Patrick will have their struggles in life. According to my friends with older kids, Carl may well move back home another time or two. But all three are on track, and have the parental support, to eventually reach that top 20 percent and stay there. My joy and pride in their success is tempered by the knowledge that in this great country of ours, we haven't yet figured out how to ensure that every child gets the chance to pursue happiness.



Marilyn Watkins, policy director of the Economic Opportunity Instititue (www.eoionline.org), writes every other Wednesday. Her e-mail address is marilyn@eoionline.org.
© 2009The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA