Age 16

[Hamjamwich]

Why can people get married, have sex etc but can't vote or rent a property? I'm confused that they are seen as an adult but also not seen as an adult. Why ???

Renting a property costs lots of money, they want references, and financial stability, not many 16 year olds have that do they?

You can rent a property I think, if you can fulfill the landlords criteria for rental. You can only get married with parents consent, you can decide for yourself from 18. Voting there was some discussion about, not sure the reason 16yr olds were denied the vote in the end. I think you can't work at 16 now either, you have to be in education until 18. The age for alcohol being 18 is possible health reasons? IDK. You can drive a moped at 16 but not a motorbike or car until 17.

So it's a transition age from childhood to adulthood. No idea why it was done like that. Wasn't always so.

Maybe something to do with child protection? We've stopped sending children up chimney's too. Parents and teachers no longer have the right to carry out corporal punishment. Education being compulsory is because children have a right to it, meaning poor families can't send their DC out to work to boost the family finances. Parents now fined for taking their DC out of education to eg go on holiday.

It works both ways too. If you were adult at 16 you'd have to pay for you own college/6th form education, currently the government pays until you turn 19. If you commit a crime and are imprisoned, it's a children's prison not an adults one, before age 18. If your parents kick you out you get more help from the council than an over 18 single homeless person would. Your age gives you some sort of priority I think. Lots of people being informally supported and still treated in a childlike manner by parents as they go through university. Don't be so keen to shake off the shackles of childhood. It comes with benefits too.

If you're really sick of being a child, get yourself into a situation where you're ready to launch into full on adulthood when you turn 18. Instead of drifting along in extended childhood like so many do. Make the most of the free education to get skilled in a trade and/or qualified for a career, work as much as you can and save to pay your way through university without so much debt as those who haven't saved up. Or use your savings for a second hand car enabling you to work further away or for a deposit on a flatshare/some basic furniture enabling you to move out of the parental home. Get a good reputation for yourself at whatever job you do because it'll really help you get your first adult job if you've already proven yourself.

You can rent a property I think, if you can fulfill the landlords criteria for rental

Having just helped my 22 do this the referencing and affordability was done by a company and it's very strict. The wanted a big deposit and a month's rent up front. With the market the way it is at the moment there's a lot of interest for each rental property, and the landlord can choose. Who realistically would choose a 16 year old over others even if they passed the referencing?

I never said a landlord would choose a 16yr old. I said "can rent" not "would realistically be easily able to". But if one doesn't know it's possible to do something one can be put off seeking opportunities. Maybe OP will find somewhere they can meet the criteria, strict or otherwise. We don't actually know anything about OP's situation to judge how difficult they'd find it, except their age. They could have other positive features to their situation that means someone decides to overlook their age (and the stereotypical judgements they're likely making because of it).

I've lived in places where they want a guarantor if the renter can't provide payslips proving they earn 3x the rental amount each month. Which pretty much rules out anyone on minimum wage regardless of their age, unless they've got a rich relative. Age doesn't necessarily need to be the deciding factor.

I agree the OP hasn’t given enough information. The rental market is pretty brutal at the moment though.

I know 17 year olds who have rented properties (with a guarantor)

16yo are supposed to be in training or full time education until age 18 so usually can't afford to save the massive money needed for deposits etc

If they present as homeless at 16 they can be accommodated in own social housing. Not to be recommended but is possible

Can get married in scotland. But not drunk at your wedding nor drive there. And if you film yourself having sex on your wedding night you’d be making child pornography. But it’s fine to have sex but not watch it as other porn is 18 plus.
Go figure. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I’d like to see all the rules aligned at 18 tbh, especially in Scotland. I had my own house and was engaged at 16, it was far too young, as a parent of a nearly 16 year old, it’s very much still a child IMO

I worked at 16, paid national insurance , had a partner and everything else, but couldn't vote or anything. Crazy.

Honestly, I think the age of consent for sex and marriage differing from voting etc comes down to historical society. Voting rights have been hard one for almost everyone in British society and the age of consent has been raised as people turned against child marriage.

These things all happened at different times in history.

It's not as if a court or government ever sat down and said, "right what minimum age requirements shall we have for Voting, sex and marriage?"

16 year olds can't get married without parental consent. They also can't joint the army without parental consent. So they aren't treated as adults in this respect. I imagine there are old fashioned ideas about sex outside of marriage that keep the current marriage laws.

Aligning everything to 18 would make sense. Maybe driving lessons and the theory test should allowed at 17, but you'd need to be 18 to take the practical test.

I did used to wonder why I wasn't allowed to have a mortgage when I was a child. The fact that I couldn't afford it didn't seem any sort of explanation.

Lowering the age to vote has been thrown around a bit in the past few years. It's not something I'd be in favour of.

Any mention of anything regarding a 16 year old here on MN is generally met with ‘that is a child ! ’.
At that age I had a full time job but it didn’t pay anywhere near enough to get a mortgage or rent a property plus pay all associated bills and they’d want to see more than one payslip.
16 year olds who get married (not that I’ve ever encountered this) presumably live with their parents still.

16 year olds who get married (not that I’ve ever encountered this) presumably live with their parents still. Or their Mitch older spouse, but they still have to go to school if they're in Y11, and can't be on the mortgage. I'm not sure about a tenancy in these circumstances.

@LynetteScavo

16 year olds who get married (not that I’ve ever encountered this) presumably live with their parents still. Or their Mitch older spouse, but they still have to go to school if they're in Y11, and can't be on the mortgage. I'm not sure about a tenancy in these circumstances.

It can't be very common can it? Schoolchildren marrying then buying or renting houses. If my two had told me they were doing any of that at 16 I would have been suitably . But also interested in where the money was coming from to pay for any of it.

Council housing in my experience. I knew many teens who lived together at 16/17 when I was a teen, some we engaged and had babies or were pregnant. As I said up thread I was engaged and had a council house by 16. A situation I got away from eventually, looking back at 35 with an almost 16 year old myself it was desperately sad