Generation X, commonly abbreviated to Gen X, is the generation born after the Western Post–World War II baby boom. Demographers, researchers, and commentators typically use birth dates ranging from the early 1960s to the early 1980s.
The term Generation X has been used at various times throughout history to describe alienated youth. In the 1950s, Hungarian photographer Robert Capa used Generation X as the title for a photo-essay about young men and women growing up immediately following the Second World War.[1] In 1976, British recording artist, Billy Idol used the moniker as the name for a punk rock band.[2]
However, the name Generation X was not used to describe this demographic cohort until the release of Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture, a 1991 novel written by Canadian author Douglas Coupland. Demographer Neil Howe noted the delay in naming this demographic cohort by saying, "Over 30 years after their birthday, they didn't have a name. I think that's germane." Previously, the cohort had been referred to as Post-Boomers, Baby Busters, New Lost Generation, Latch-key kids, and the 13th Generation (they were described as the 13th generation since American independence).[2][3][4]
Demographer William Strauss noted that Coupland applied the term to the older members of the generation born between 1961–1964, who were told by demographers that they were baby boomers, but who did not feel like boomers. Strauss also noted that around the time Coupland's 1991 novel was published the symbol "X" was prominent in popular culture, as the film Malcolm X was released in 1992, and that the name "Generation X" ended up sticking. The "X" refers to an unknown variable or to a desire not to be defined.[5][6][7]
Generation X is the demographic cohort following the post-World War II baby boom, but there is debate over what that means, because the end date of the baby boom is often disputed. Research from MetLife examining the baby boomer generation split their cohort into "older boomers", those born between 1946 and 1955, and “younger boomers”, those born between 1956 and 1964. They found much of the cultural identity of the baby boomer generation is associated with the "older boomers", while half of the "younger boomers" were averse to being associated with the boomer cohort, and a third of those born between 1956 and 1964 actively identified as members of Generation X.[8]
Many demographers use dates which correspond to the strict fertility patterns in the population, as birth rates began declining in 1957, then declined more sharply following 1964, resulting in a Generation X starting date of 1965. These include Pew Research which uses a range of 1965–1980,[9] Australia’s McCrindle Research Center which uses 1965–1979,[10] and Gallup which also uses 1965–1979.[11]
Demographers William Straus and Neil Howe reject the 1964 end date of the baby boomer cohort (which resulted in a 1965 start year for Generation X), finding that the majority of those born between 1961–1964 did not self-identify as boomers, and that they were culturally distinct from boomers in terms of shared historical experiences. Howe noted that many demographers continue to use 1965 as a start date for Generation X, but claims this date range fails to take into consideration the shared history and cultural identity of the individuals. Strauss and Howe define Generation X as those born between 1961–1981.[12][13][14][15]
Many demographers use dates which correspond to Stauss and Howe's definition as well. The Generation X Report, a quarterly research report from The Longitutinal Study of American Youth conducted at the University of Michigan defines Generation X as those born between 1961–1981.[16] The 2016 documentary Generation X, a six-part series airing on the National Geographic Channel, also used a 1961–1981 birth range.[17][18] PricewaterhouseCoopers, a multinational professional services network headquartered in London, describes Generation X employees as those born from the early 1960s to the early 1980s.[19]
In Canada, Statistics Canada defines "baby busters" as those born between 1966 and 1971 but also uses the term Generation X to include these “baby busters”, as well as those born between 1960 and 1965 and extending into the late 1970s.[20] David Foot, author and University of Toronto professor, divides the generation born after the Baby Boomers into two groups in his book Boom Bust & Echo: How to Profit from the Coming Demographic Shift:[21] Generation X, born between 1960 and 1966; and the "Bust Generation", born between 1967 and 1979.[22]
Other commentators and researchers use a wide range of dates to describe Generation X, with the beginning birth year ranging from as early as 1960[23][24] to as late as 1965,[10] and with the final birth year ranging from as early as 1976[25] to as late as 1984[26][27] or 1985.[28][29][30]
Due in part to the frequent birth-year overlap and resulting incongruence existing between attempts to define Generation X and Millennials, a number of individuals born in the late 1970s or early 1980s see themselves as being "between" the two generations.[31][32][33][34] Names given to those born on the Generation X/Millennial cusp years include Xennials, The Lucky Ones, Generation Catalano, and the Oregon Trail Generation.[34][35][36][37][38]
Generation X is a relatively smaller demographic cohort “sandwiched” between two larger demographic cohorts, the Baby Boomers and the Millennials, although debate regarding exact date range defining makes it difficult to precisely define this cohort’s relative size. The birth control pill, which was introduced in the early 1960s, was a contributing factor to the declining birth rates seen in this generation. In the United States, increased immigration partially offset declining birth rates and contributed to making Generation X an ethnically and culturally diverse demographic cohort.[2][39][40]
In a 2012 article for the Joint Center for Housing StudiesofHarvard University, George Masnick wrote that the "Census counted 82.1 million" Gen Xers in the U.S. The Harvard Center uses 1965 to 1984 to define Gen X so that Boomers, Xers, and Millennials "cover equal 20-year age spans".[41] Masnick concluded that immigration filled in any birth year deficits during low fertility years of the late 1960s and early 1970s.[41][42]
Demographers William Stauss and Neil Howe, who authored several books on generations including the 1993 book, 13th Gen: Abort, Retry, Ignore, Fail?, specifically on Generation X reported that Gen Xer’s were children at a time when society was less focused on children and more focused on adults.[14] Gen Xers were children during a time of increasing divorce rates, with divorce rates doubling in the mid-1960s, before peaking in 1980.[2][43][44] Strauss and Howe described a cultural shift where the long held societal value of staying together for the sake of the children was replaced with a societal value of parental and individual self-actualization. Strauss wrote that society “moved from what Leslie Fiedler called a 1950s-era ‘cult of the child’ to what Landon Jones called a 1970s-era ‘cult of the adult’.” [14][45]
This time period saw an increase in latchkey children, leading to the terminology the “latchkey generation” for Generation X.[46][47] These latchkey children lacked adult supervision in the hours between the end of the school day and when a parent returned home from work in the evening, and for longer periods of time during the summer. Latchkey children became common among all socioeconomic demographics, but were particularly common among middle and upper class children. The higher the educational attainment of the parents, the higher the odds the children of this time would be latchkey children, due to increased maternal participation in the workforce at a time before childcare options outside the home were widely available.[47][48][49][50][51][52]
The Gen X childhood coincided with the sexual revolution, which Susan Gregory Thomas described in her book In Spite of Everything as confusing and frightening for children in cases when a parent would bring new sexual partners to their home.[53][54]
The emergence of AIDS, coincided with Gen X's adolescence, with the disease first clinically observed in the United States in 1981. By 1985, an estimated one to two million Americans were HIV positive. As the virus spread, at a time before effective treatments were availabe, a public panic ensued. Sex education programs in schools were adapted to address the AIDS epidemic which taught Gen X students that sex could kill you.[55][56]
Politicaly, in the United States, the Gen X childhood coincided with a time when government funding tended to be diverted away from programs for children and often instead directed toward the elderly population, with cuts to Medicaid and programs for children and young families, and protection and expansion of Medicare and Social Security for the elderly population. One in five American children grew up in poverty during this time. These programs for the elderly were not tied to economic need. Congressman David Durenberger criticized this political situation, stating that while programs for poor children and for young families were cut, the government provided “free health care to elderly millionaires”.[45][57]
Gen Xer’s came of age or were children during the crack epidemic, which disproportionately impacted urban areas and also the African American community in the US. Drug turf battles increased violent crime and crack addiction impacted communities and families. Between 1984 and 1989, the homicide rate for black males aged 14 to 17 doubled, and the homicide rate for black males aged 18 to 24 increased almost as much. The crack epidemic had a destabilizing impact on families with an increase in the number of children in foster care.[58][59]
Generation X was the first cohort to come of age with MTV and are sometimes called the MTV Generation.[60][61] They experienced the emergence of music videos, grunge, alternative rock and hip hop.[62]
In the US, Generation X were the first children to grow up post-integration. They were described in a marketing report by Specialty Retail as the kids who “lived the civil-rights movement." They were among the first children to be bused to attain integration in the public school system. In the 1990s, demographer William Strauss reported Gen Xerrs were “by any measure the least racist of today's generations”.[45][63]
Title IX, which passed in 1972, provided increased athletic opportunities to Gen X girls in the public school setting. The legislation required: "no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.", leading to a dramatic increase in high school and college athletic options for female students.[64]
In the 1990s, media pundits and advertisers struggled to define the cohort, typically portraying them as “unfocused twentysomethings”. A MetLife report noted: “media would portray them as the Friends generation: rather self-involved and perhaps aimless...but fun.” [60][65]
In France, Gen Xers were sometimes referred to as ‘Génération Bof’ because of their tendency to use the word ‘bof ’, which translated into English means ‘whatever”.[10]
Gen Xer’s were often portrayed as apathetic or as “slackers”, a stereotype which was initially tied to Richard Linkletter’s comedic and essentially plotless 1991 film Slacker. After the film was released “journalists and critics thought they put a finger on what was different about these young adults in that ‘they were reluctant to grow up’ and ‘disdainful of earnest action’.”[65][66]
Stereotypes of Gen X young adults also included that they were: “bleak, cynical, and disaffected”. Such sterotypes prompted sociological research at Stanford University to study the accuracy of the characterization of Gen X young adults as cynical and disaffected. Using the national General Social Survey, the researchers compared answers to identical survey questions asked of 18-29 year-olds in three different time periods. Additionally, they compared how older adults answered the same survey questions over time. The surveys showed 18-29 year-old Gen Xers did exhibit higher levels of cynicism and disaffection than previous cohorts of 18-29 year-olds surveyed; however, they also found that cynicism and disaffection had increased among all age groups surveyed over time, not just young adults, making this a period effect, not a cohort effect. In other words, people of all ages were more cynical and disaffected in the 1990s, not just Generation X.[67]
In 1990, Time magazine published an article titled Living:Proceeding With Caution, which described those in their 20s as aimless and unfocused; however, in 1997, they published an article titled Generation X Reconsidered, which retracted the previously reported negative stereotypes and reported positive accomplishments, citing Gen Xer’s tendency to found technology start ups and small businesses as well as Gen Xer's ambition, which research showed was higher among Gen X young adults than older generations.[65][68][69]
As the 1990s and 2000s progressed, Gen X gained a reputation for entrapenealism. In 2002, Time magazine published an article titled Gen Xers Aren't Slackers After All, reporting four out of five new businesses were the work of Gen Xers.[63][70]
In 2001, sociologist, Mike Males reported confidence and optimism common among the cohort saying “surveys consistently find 80% to 90% of Gen-Xers self-confident and optimistic.”[71] In 2001, Males wrote “these young Americans should finally get the recognition they deserve”, praising the cohort stating “the permissively raised, universally deplored Generation X is the true 'great generation,' for it has braved a hostile social climate to reverse abysmal trends", describing them as the hardest-working group since the World War II generation, which was dubbed by Tom Brokaw as "The Greatest Generation". He reported Gen Xers entrepeneal tendencies helped create the high-tech industry that fueled the 1990s economic recovery.[71][72]
In entertainment, Gen Xers were responsible for the alternative rock movement of the 1990s and 2000s and Gen Xers were largely responsible for the “Indie Film” movement of the 1990s, both as young directors and in large part as the movie audiences fueling demand for such films.[69][73] In cinema, directors Kevin Smith, Quentin Tarantino, Sophia Coppola, John Singleton, Spike Jonze, David Fincher, Steven Soderbergh,[74][75] and Richard Linklater[76][77] have been called Generation X filmmakers. Smith is most known for his View Askewniverse films, the flagship film being Clerks, which is set in New Jersey circa 1994, and focuses on two convenience-store clerks in their twenties. Linklater's Slacker similarly explores young adult characters who were interested in philosophizing.[78] While not a member of Gen X himself, director John Hughes has been recognized as having created a series of classics "that an entire generation took ownership of with films like The Breakfast Club,[79][80] Sixteen Candles and Weird Science".[81]
Guides regarding managing multiple generations in the workforce describe Gen Xers as: independent, resourceful, self-managing, adaptable, cynical, pragmatic, skeptical of authority, and as seeking a work life balance.[60][82][83][84]
In a 2007 article published in the Harvard Business Review, demographers Strauss & Howe wrote of Generation X; “They are already the greatest entrepreneurial generation in U.S. history; their high-tech savvy and marketplace resilience have helped America prosper in the era of globalization.”[85]
In the 2008 book, X Saves the World: How Generation X Got the Shaft but Can Still Keep Everything from Sucking, author Jeff Gordinier describes Generation X as a demographic cohort which “doesn’t seek the limelight”. Gordiner cited examples of Gen Xer's contributions to society including: Google, Wikipedia, Amazon.com and YouTube, arguing if Boomers had created them, “we’d never hear the end of it” . In the book, Gordinier contrasts Gen Xers to Baby Boomers, saying Boomers tend to trumpet their accomplishments more so than Gen Xers, creating what he describes as “elaborate mythologies” around their acheivements. Gordiner cites Steve Jobs as an example, while Gordiner argues, Gen Xers are more likely to “ just quietly do their thing”.[86][87]
In 2011, survey analysis from the Longitutial Study of Youth found Gen Xers to be “balanced active and happy” in midlife (between ages of 30-50). The Longitutinal Study of Youth is an NIH-NIA funded study by the University of Michigan which has been studying Generation X since 1987, Asking survey questions such as “Thinking about all aspects of your life, how happy are you? If zero means that you are very unhappy and 10 means that you are very happy, please rate your happiness.” LSA reported that “mean level of happiness was 7.5 and the median (middle score) was 8. Only four percent of Generation X adults indicated a great deal of unhappiness (a score of three or lower). Twenty-nine percent of Generation X adults were very happy with a score of 9 or 10 on the scale.”[16][88][89][90]
In terms of advocating for their children in the educational setting, demographer Neil Howe describes Gen X parents as distinct from Baby Boomer parents. Howe argues that Gen Xers are not helicopter parents, which Howe describes as a parenting style of Baby Boomers. Howe described Gen Xers instead as “stealth fighter parents”, due to the tendency of Gen X parents to let minor issues go and to not hover over their children in the educational setting, but to intervene forcefully and swiftly in the event of more serious issues.[91]
In 2012, the Corporation for National and Community Service ranked Gen X volunteer rates in the U.S. at "29.4% per year", the highest compared with other generations. The rankings were based on a three-year moving average between 2009 and 2011.[92][93]
In the United Kingdom, a 2016 study of over 2,500 office worders conducted by Workfront found that survey respondents of all ages selected those from generation X as the hardest working employees in today’s workforce (chosen by 60%). Gen X was also ranked higest among fellow workers for having the strongest work ethic (chosen by 59.5%), being the most helpful (55.4%), the most skilled (54.5%), and the best troubleshooters/problem solvers (41.6%).[94][95]
Pew Research, a nonpartisan American think tank, describes Generation X as intermediary between Baby Boomers and Millennials on multiple factors such as attitudes on political or social issues, educational attainment, and social media use.[96]
Studies done by the Pew Charitable Trusts, the American Enterprise Institute, the Brookings Institution, the Heritage Foundation and the Urban Institute challenged the notion that each generation will be better off than the one that preceded it.[97][98][99]
A report titled Economic Mobility: Is the American Dream Alive and Well? focused on the income of males 30–39 in 2004 (those born April 1964 – March 1974). The study was released on May 25, 2007 and emphasized that this generation's men made less (by 12%) than their fathers had at that same age in 1974, thus reversing a historical trend. It concluded that per year increases in household income generated by fathers/sons have slowed (from an average of 0.9% to 0.3%), barely keeping pace with inflation. "Family incomes have risen though (over the period 1947 to 2005) because more women have gone to work, supporting the incomes of men, by adding a second earner to the family. And as with male income, the trend is downward".[97][100]
Generation Flux is a neologism and psychographic designation coined by Fast Company for American employees who need to make several changes in career throughout their working lives because of the chaotic nature of the job market following the Financial crisis of 2007–08. Those in "Generation Flux" have birth years in the ranges of Gen X and Millennials.
According to authors Michael Hais and Morley Winograd:
"Small businesses and the entrepreneurial spirit that Gen Xers embody have become one of the most popular institutions in America. There's been a recent shift in consumer behavior and Gen Xers will join the “idealist generation” in encouraging the celebration of individual effort and business risk-taking. As a result, Xers will spark a renaissance of entrepreneurship in economic life, even as overall confidence in economic institutions declines. Customers, and their needs and wants (including Millennials) will become the North Star for an entire new generation of entrepreneurs".[101]
In Boom, Bust & Echo, Foot (1996: 18–22) divides youth into two groups: 'Generation X' born between 1960 and 1966 and the 'Bust Generation' born between 1967 and 1979.
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