There is more bureaucracy now than ever before. I've listed one article about it, but there are many books and essays. You should look up David Graeber's book, Bullshit Jobs. He's hilarious and interesting. You can find him on YouTube or podcasts presenting his research.
I'm mostly referring to the middle class, and both parents have to work, but many of the older generations' mom's stayed home with their kids. Women are expected to do just as much and work full-time, but yes. It isn't easy to compare because life was different for a young person today than 40 years ago. Comparing our individual situation to others doesn't provide an accurate depiction. When we look at the job market, housing prices, living costs, wages, etc., the situation for young people today isn't great. For example, in the early 80s, one income could save for a home deposit in three years. Today, one income (on average) saving for a home loan would take 18 or 19 years.
Wages haven't increased in 40 years while everything else has, and many jobs have been outsourced or automated. If you're referring to young people getting financial support from parents, it's true. More young people today can't afford to move out, and if they're fortunate to have parents help, parents assist them, but I was referring to young families.
Communities have become more isolated, and neighbors, family, etc., don't support young families with rideshares, childcare, etc., as much as previously. This also leads to being busier and exhausting.
This isn't about competing with other generations, but humanity has always strived to make life better for the young and it's reversing now. It defies our evolution and it's confusing, but it's true. Young people aren't a bunch of crybaby brats. They're more connected to diverse communities than we are (they tend to leave their bubbles while people my age and older tend to stay within our circle), and they see a lot more than most of us. Maybe we should just listen instead of comparing them to ourselves.
