1990's+LifeStyles

Life Styles During the 1990's. By: Carissa Maher

﻿ The 1990's was a decade of change without a doubt. Often considered the "Y-Generation".. There are many questions that came out of the decade. This era was filled with both positive and negative aspects and directly affected the lives we live today.

//**﻿Education and Work:**// Even though the stock markets were soaring, the hours and wages of average employees stagnated. Many lost jobs due to corporate downsizing. The need for an education continued to become more vital. In this decade, a hefty 83% of the population completed four years of high school which nearly doubled that of the previous decade. To better education, programs like "No Child Left Behind" came into play. This program is still present in our schools today.

//**﻿Family Life, Homes, and Cars:**// On top of the pressure to get a good education, many teens felt other pressures from the adult world. There was a rise in sexual activity among teens which in turn lead to a rise in teen pregnancies. Divorce was not ever out of the question and having a mixed family became a sense of normal to many. Coming along with the many pressures to get a good education and find a good job, drug use decreased in this era. Homes started to be far bigger and more elaborate than ever. The price tags on cars got larger along with the homes.

**//﻿Electronics://** There wasn't a single question that couldn't be answered all thanks to technology. The 1990's was an electronic era that sent you surfing the web for anything you could think of. Everyone's life changed in 1992 when you could go online for whatever you may have needed. Communication changed from a written letter to an email. Internet lingo became the norm... For example, "BTW" (By The Way), was used often. The ever so common "smiley face :) " started in this era. You no longer had to drive to the mall, instead you could search your favorite store and have their entire stock in front of you on your computer screen. Online gambling became a way to pass the time. And on top of all that, you wouldn't dare be caught dead without a new cell phone.

﻿﻿ //**﻿Eating and Fitness:**// In the 1990's, health wasn't a big concern to many. Junk food and fast food is what many diets consisted of. Mc. Donalds, Burger King, and Pizza Hut were common stops for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Along with an unhealthy diet comes... obesity. Obesity rates were soaring along with stroke and Diabetes. On the flip side, there were those few that were work out junkies. The 1990's introduced Zumba Dance which is still offered at many workout facilities today.

