...when is she a young woman?

[deb1]

Biology is biology, when an organism is capable of reproduction it is “mature”.

I don’t think we do our young people any favors by treating them as less than they are. They will rise (or decline) to meet our expectations or lack thereof.

So do you think that an 11 year could get married or be able to leave home and support themselves? I hope not.

The start of Menses is only one of the physical changes a young girl experiences as she matures, so it isn’t a reliable indicator of womanhood.

 

[deb1]

An interesting thread. And have we all noticed that a “young lady” is usually younger than a “young woman.” As in a mom saying, “Get in here and clean up your room, young lady!” LOL

As for your question, I agree with the poster who said that a young woman is simply a woman at the young end of adult-hood. So someone 18-25 or so. In the poll, I choose when you finish college–assumming you go to college after high school and finish within 5 years or so.

I don’t know if it is age alone. Some people are still very childish and immature as forty year olds and some 20 year olds are able to take on difficult responsibilities.

Of course, some of this has to do with how they were raised and what the individual expects of themselves.

When I was 22, my hubby and I had our first child, were worried about bills and dealing with a military assignment that temporarily seperated us. Occasionally, now I’ll hear excuses made for the immature behavior of someone who is that same age because they are still young.

 

[SMHW]

I always say that the first step in such discussions is to look at a dictionary and see what the range of meanings for a word might be.

My dictionary defines a woman as an adult female.

OK, next question: What is an adult?

My dictionary says it is a person who is fully developed and mature.

“Mature” – now that’s a loaded word.

There are several definitions for mature (used as an adjective) but the one that seemed most appropriate was that mature means having attained a final or desired state. There is also a legal aspect.

‘Final’ doesn’t seem like the best choice of words because I’d like to think we keep changing until death. So that leaves ‘desired state’.

Putting this all together I see that a woman is a fully developed female who has attained a desired state (of adulthood.) A young woman is someone in the early stages of this desired state.

But this brings us back to the underlying question: What is this desired state? This is where everyone’s opinion comes in because it really depends on circumstances. In some societies, this desired state is little more than sexual maturity. Most modern societies consider it the ability to live without the assistance of parents. Legally, it could mean reaching an age of accountability for one’s own actions.

 

[Celeste88]

Depends on the culture. In some tribal cultures you are a young woman at 11 or 12 or when a girl attains puberty and a celebration is held. Then she is paired up for matrimony of sorts. Here in America we’ve had the Debutante Ball or when a girl becomes 16 she becomes a “young lady” .

An adult would be easier to define. An adult person or animal is one that has already attained his/her physical growth capacity. I am not talking about mental or social or spiritual growth. Some people never grow up mentally, socially or spiritually.

 

[OutinChgoburbs]

I vote with your spiritual director.