25 when did it become not an adult?

[Samcro]

so under 25 you don't get the new wage.
surely 25 is and adult. someone who has left education and home, hopefully been working a few years so why?
why is say (for example) a 23 yr old thought to be worth less?

[Henriettacat]

Maybe they just want to make young parents poor so that their children can be used to meet the new, higher, adoption targets. Ditto for the no benefits for third children regime.....

[Stanky]

If they see you as old enough to vote, consent, drink, get married and join the military, then they should see you as old enough to earn a proper wage.

[Ludoole]

Absolutely Stanky!!!!

[RealHuman]

Many of the arguments people use for age-related minimum wage differences and paying younger people a lower minimum sound awfully familiar.

They're probably not the main breadwinner in a household. They don't have the same financial responsibilities as main breadwinners do. They're worth less to employers so there has to be a lower minimum or employers won't want them.

[kickassangel]

I was married with a mortgage at 23, why should I have been paid less? I was in a graduate job, so surely I should have been paid the same as someone a year or two older?

[ScorpioMermaid]

When my DH was 25, I was 23 (together from 18 & 16 first baby at 17) we lived in private rented with our 4 children. he worked his butt off to support us. We'd have been absolutely stuffed now. It's disgusting.

[Teabagbeforemilk]

At 25 I had a mortgage, a 4 year old and had been married for 5 years. I think this is shit. But I think they are trying to put people off doing what I did perhaps. Attempting to make people wait longer to have kids. It's very bizarre and wrong imo

[MinesAPintOfTea]

Because we specifically have an unemployment problwm for under 25s with limited experience. So the government is trying to give them a recruitment advantage.

Don't forget a lot of peoplr remain in education to 25 in courses/institutions that may not necessarily help them get a job.

[puffinrock]

At that age we were parents married 5 years, homeowners for 6. 25 is ridiculously old to still be living at home.

[00100001]

How can they leave home? By going into a flat/house share???

[00100001]

Surely the minimum wage thing is for hourly paid jobs, not salaried?

I doubt you'd have a job for (let's say) two PAs in a company and offer two different age related salaries??

[chrome100]

My DP is 24. He left home at 16. He now runs three businesses. To suggest that a 25 year old should not earn the new wage is madness.

[TheBookofRuth]

It's because most young people don't vote, therefore it's "safe" to screw them over. They're not losing potential votes.

Pensioners, otoh, do vote, in large numbers , so no one wants to piss them off.

[Caboodle]

The arguments for a lower wage (living at home / no responsibility / don't need a lot of money) are very similar to the arguments that used to be used to justify paying women less.
It is wrong.
They work. They should earn the same.

[SuffolkNWhat]

At 25 I had a mortgage, was married and the main breadwinner!

[eyebags63]

YANBU. The minimum wage / living wage should apply to everyone over 18 with very few exceptions (genuine apprenticeships for example).

I think it is incredible the way successive governments have got away with age discrimination in the minimum wage and benefits system for those < 25.

[Rainicorn]

When I was 25 I'd been married for 5 years, had 2 DC and both DH and I worked. We hadn't claimed any benefits before having DC, had always paid rent, CT etc, which was the same with all my friends.

My cousin, aged 16 was turfed out of his family home by his alcoholic mother as she was no longer receiving benefits for him. Had he not been able to claim benefits he would have been homeless.

Young people seem to have been given a raw deal with this budget and made to be all benefit scroungers.

[SomewhereIBelong]

minimum wage is a minimum - not a target

• lots of 23 year-olds straight out of Uni earn above it anyhow. People are talking like ALL 25 year olds will be on the scrapheap, earning nothing. They will have an advantage over 26 year olds when entering the unskilled workplace.

[Sallystyle]

At 25 I met my second husband and was pregnant with my 4th child

My 16 year old is worrying about how he will manage to leave home. He is very ambitious but with the prices of housing and how little he will earn in what he wants to do it is worrying him that he won't be able to move out for a long long time.

[WinterBabyof89]

I'm 25.
Voted since i was able to - I certainly didn't vote bloody Tory this year but ashamed to say I did in the previous GE
I've had two children & have been married for 4 years. Why should I have been any less entitled to a decent working wage in my early twenties?! - the mind boggles!

[FuzzyWizard]

I completely agree. I'm 28 and I was a secondary head of department and homeowner at 25, DP is the same age as me. We were most definitely adults and had been for some time. The argument about being responsible only for yourself is a bit odd as some people have children before 25 and some not until much later. Yes 28-9 is average but there is a lot of variation.

[Penfold007]

Surely this is blatant age discrimination?

[00100001]

This difference in minimum wages is not a new thing.... Its benn like this since the introduction of the minimum wage.