Young Arabs who can't wait to throw off shackles of tradition

The frustrated generation at the heart of the protests tell how their progress is being stifled by unemployment and corruption

Young Jordanians celebrate in Amman after the announcement of the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak in Egypt on Friday. Photograph: Jamal Nasrallah/EPA

They live with their parents, hang out in cafes, Facebook their friends, study in their spare time, listen to local rappers – and despair about ever being able to get a good, fulfilling job and start a family. The young people at the vanguard of the protests sweeping the Arab world are an exasperated demographic, the lucky ones stuck in poorly paid jobs they hate, the unlucky ones touting degrees that don't get them anywhere, an entire generation muzzled by tradition, deference and authoritarian rule.

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