Are These Teenage Extramarital Affairs Happening in 2018?

Use this forum to discuss the April 2018 Book of the Month, "Ironbark Hill" by Jennie Linnane
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Re: Are These Teenage Extramarital Affairs Happening in 2018?

Post by Ayomaamianda »

In 1950s things were kept under cover unlike now where communication has been made easier through improved technology hence news travel so fast. It is easier to know what is happening around the world now than during the 1950s.I don't think there is any difference.
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Post by AWANDO OGUTU »

I personally think teenage marital affairs are actually more pronounced in 2018 than ever before.
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Post by Lil Reads »

Relationships between adults and teens still occurred in the 1950s and do occur now, I think the main change is how people respond to it.

It used to be the social norm for young women to be encouraged to look for an older man with an established job as a partner; even in Stranger Things, which is set in the 1980s, Nancy implies that is why her parents married. There were also circumstances where a college student and professor got together after the student was no longer in the professor's class. (Is this where that "She went to college to get her Mrs degree." comment comes from?) I think part of this stemmed from how men were expected to have a nest egg started for their future family while women usually married early and had several kids.

Now, the power dynamic of an adult and teen in a relationship results in outrage and the adult in jail while the teen is in therapy or moved away from the adult. Since people now look at teenagers as being at this weird 'not child, not adult' stage, they realize how an unscrupulous adults can manipulate teens plus the teens think they are more in control than they are. The news has several reports of teachers who start relationships with a student and get caught, but several seem to have been involved in the relationships for months before the relationship is uncovered.
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Post by LarissaRunamuck »

It's just used more as a shock-value media story now, whereas before it was more taboo and something people tried to hide away and ignore. The same things have always happened. It's just society's reaction to them that's changed.
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Post by juliecsa »

I can't really say for sure how prominent it was back then obviously, but I think it is definitely something that happens now, and as others have said, we hear about it more often because of the media. I do think that it is more frowned upon now than it would have been then, with statutory rape laws and etc being stricter.
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Post by Star88 »

I agree, extramarital affairs are probably the same as they were in the past. It's just that we hear about them more often now because of social media and television.
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Post by Jennifer Fernandez »

I think is the same now and then. Only that then people hid it out of shame. Young girls and boys are easily influenced by older role model figures. Specially at that age were the hormones are all over the place. At the same time some adults may find the atention attractive. And when these 2 thing combine toguether...well.
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Post by Julie Green »

I think it was ever thus, just more likely in secret. Of course, underage marriages have taken place throughout history.
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Post by ea_anthony »

Eryn Bradshaw wrote: 02 Apr 2018, 09:31 Honestly, I think that extramarital affairs are probably about the same throughout time. There's always been adults who target teenagers, it was just less heard of in the past. A teenage girl who sleeps with an older gentleman would be quickly swept under the carpet, otherwise she wouldn't be eligible for marriage. I do think we hear about it more now though. The teens who have these extramarital affairs with adults aren't ostracized, they are taken to therapy, they get the help they need; and adults who have participated with the teens get sentenced to jail time, removed from their jobs, etc. And with all that happening, news outlets get hold of the story and report on it.
I agree, apparently we have more media, including social media. Other angles to consider are physical appearance, on average 2018 things should be bigger and look more matured than the 1950 teens. Another is higher urban population with closer living proximity. Social scientists would be better placed to ascertain impacts (if any) of the above.
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Post by FictionLover »

I think it used to happen but it was covered up more. I know when I was in HS in the late 1970's there were rumors about teachers and students, but it was all hush-hush. You only knew years later, when they got married, that it was true. This was a time when pregnant teens were sent away to "homes for wayward girls" to have their babies, far from the community because it was such a scandal.
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Post by FictionLover »

Julie Green wrote: 10 Jul 2018, 01:48 I think it was ever thus, just more likely in secret. Of course, underage marriages have taken place throughout history.
Yes, I agree.
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Post by Thebookstealer »

I believe that the youth of the present day are more suspicious, or enlightened- however you decide to think of it. It is less realistic for a teenage couple to run away nowadays than then in my humble opinion.
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Post by angiejack456 »

Jkhorner wrote: 03 Apr 2018, 12:53 I think it is wise to take our cue from King Solomon's words: "there is nothing new under the sun." As to the prevalence of teenage affairs, I can't begin to know the answer, but I agree with many of the other commenters that nowadays the affair is far more likely to be aired publicly, and therefore it appears to happen more often. In the 1950s, Americans were still in the habit of hushing up sexuality of any sort -- especially if the activities proved to be unsavory. An affair might look different today, but fundamentally I believe the issue has been around since the beginning of time.
I love this well-written comment! I agree with many of you. In our media-frenzied world, these types of acts are much more talked about. But 60 years ago such topics were taboo. However, it doesn't mean they weren't happening.
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Post by linham02660 »

I believe teenage girls falling for older married men has been happening the same amount but it is talked about in the open much more now.
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Post by DakotaA »

This is such a difficult question. My instinct is that this kind of relationship used to be more common than it actually is. This is for a few reasons; Firstly, large age gaps between an older man and younger woman/girl used to be the NORM 100+ years ago. Secondly, the concept of 'running away' was much more plausible in the 1950's than in modern day.

However, I do believe that nowadays there are so many shows and movies on TV that glorify the student/teacher "fantasy" (sorry, I didn't have a better word for it) that perhaps it is more common now. I can only hope that it's not.
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