72-476: Generation X (often shortened to Gen X ) is the demographic cohort following the Baby Boomers and preceding Millennials . Researchers and popular media often use the mid-1960s as its starting birth years and the late 1970s as its ending birth years, with the generation being generally defined as people born from 1965 to 1980. By this definition and U.S. Census data, there are 65.2 million Gen Xers in
144-470: A work-life balance . The Longitudinal Study of Youth is an NIH - NIA funded study by the University of Michigan which has been studying Generation X since 1987. The study asked 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
216-527: A 1950s-era 'cult of the child' to what Landon Jones called a 1970s-era 'cult of the adult'". The Generation Map , a report from Australia's McCrindle Research Center writes of Gen X children: Boomer parents were the most divorced generation in Australian history". According to Christine Henseler in the 2012 book Generation X Goes Global: Mapping a Youth Culture in Motion , "We watched the decay and demise (of
288-754: A 2012 article for the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University , George Masnick wrote that the "Census counted 82.1 million" Gen Xers in the U.S. Masnick concluded that immigration filled in any birth year deficits during low fertility years of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Jon Miller at the Longitudinal Study of American Youth at the University of Michigan wrote that "Generation X refers to adults born between 1961 and 1981" and it "includes 84 million people". In their 1991 book Generations , authors Howe and Strauss indicated that
360-434: A hoot what others think of them. Or whether others think of them at all." Furthermore, guides regarding managing multiple generations in the workforce describe Gen Xers as: independent, resilient, resourceful, self-managing, adaptable, cynical, pragmatic, skeptical of authority, and as seeking a work-life balance. Individualism is one of the defining traits of Generation X, and is reflected in their entrepreneurial spirit. In
432-466: A hostile social climate to reverse abysmal trends". He described them as the hardest-working group since the World War II generation . He reported Gen Xers' entrepreneurial tendencies helped create the high-tech industry that fueled the 1990s economic recovery. In 2002, Time magazine published an article titled Gen Xers Aren't Slackers After All , reporting that four out of five new businesses were
504-471: A key to let themselves in. This was a result of what is now called free-range parenting , plus increasing divorce rates, and increased maternal participation in the workforce prior to widespread availability of childcare options outside the home. As adolescents and young adults in the 1980s and 1990s, Xers were dubbed the " MTV Generation " (a reference to the music video channel ), sometimes being characterized as slackers , cynical, and disaffected. Some of
576-424: A large government bailout, which placed further strain on the budget. Furthermore, three decades of growth came to an end. The social contract between employers and employees, which had endured during the 1960s and 1970s and was scheduled to last until retirement, was no longer applicable. By the late 1980s, there were large-scale layoffs of Boomers, corporate downsizing, and accelerated offshoring of production. On
648-429: A limited or severed relationship with one parent following divorce, often the father, due to differing societal and legal expectations. In the 1970s, only nine U.S. states allowed for joint custody of children, which has since been adopted by all 50 states following a push for joint custody during the mid-1980s. Kramer vs. Kramer , a 1979 American legal drama based on Avery Corman 's best-selling novel, came to epitomize
720-499: A multinational professional services network headquartered in London, describes Generation X employees as those born from 1965 to 1980. On the basis of the time it takes for a generation to mature, U.S. authors William Strauss and Neil Howe define Generation X as those born between 1961 and 1981 in their 1991 book titled Generations , and differentiate the cohort into an early and late wave. Jeff Gordinier , in his 2008 book X Saves
792-565: A period effect, not a cohort effect . In other words, adults of all ages were more cynical and disaffected in the 1990s, not just Generation X. In a 2023 interview with television host Bill Maher on the podcast Club Random with Bill Maher , vocalist and guitarist Billy Corgan hinted at how the Smashing Pumpkins spoke to the disillusionment felt by many Gen Xers as they reached adulthood, noting: At least generationally, I think that's why I connected with so many people—because I
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#1732791552952864-488: A time when society was less focused on children and more focused on adults. Xers were children during a time of increasing divorce rates, with divorce rates doubling in the mid-1960s, before peaking in 1980. 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
936-773: Is 59 years old and the youngest is, or is turning, 43 years old in 2024. The Brookings Institution , another U.S. think-tank, sets the Gen X period as between 1965 and 1981. The U.S. Federal Reserve Board uses 1965–1980. The U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) uses 1965 to 1980. In their 2002 book When Generations Collide , Lynne Lancaster and David Stillman use 1965 to 1980, while in 2012 authors Jain and Pant also used parameters of 1965 to 1980. U.S. news outlets such as The New York Times and The Washington Post describe Generation X as people born between 1965 and 1980. Gallup , Bloomberg , Business Insider , and Forbes use 1965–1980. Time magazine states that Generation X
1008-739: Is "roughly defined as anyone born between 1965 and 1980". George Masnick of the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies puts this generation in the time-frame of 1965 to 1984, in order to satisfy the premise that boomers, Xers, and millennials "cover equal 20-year age spans". In Australia, the McCrindle Research Center uses 1965–1979. In the UK, the Resolution Foundation think-tank defines Gen X as those born between 1966 and 1980. PricewaterhouseCoopers ,
1080-439: Is "taken from the name of Billy Idol’s long-defunct punk band of the late 1970s". However, in 1995 Coupland denied the term's connection to the band, stating that: The book's title came not from Billy Idol's band, as many supposed, but from the final chapter of a funny sociological book on American class structure titled Class , by Paul Fussell . In his final chapter, Fussell named an 'X' category of people who wanted to hop off
1152-603: Is an English-language lifestyle magazine focused on Vancouver , British Columbia and the Lower Mainland . Vancouver Magazine describes its mission as informing, guiding and entertaining residents of a "dynamic, international city." The main areas of coverage are city issues, culture, restaurants, drinking, fashion and travel. Founded in 1967, the magazine started its life as Dick McLean's Greater Vancouver Greeter Guide . In 1973 it became known as Vancouver's Leisure Magazine , when editor Mac Parry took over, though over
1224-473: Is the demographic cohort following the post–World War II baby-boom , representing a generational change from the baby boomers. Many researchers and demographers use dates that correspond to the fertility-patterns in the population. For Generation X, in the U.S. (and broadly, in the Western world), the period begins at a time when fertility rates started to significantly decrease, following the baby boom peak of
1296-610: The Friends generation: rather self-involved and perhaps aimless...but fun". Gen Xers were often portrayed as apathetic or as " slackers ", lacking bearings, a stereotype which was initially tied to Richard Linklater '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'". Ben Stiller 's 1994 film Reality Bites also sought to capture
1368-543: The United States as of 2019. Most of Generation X are the children of the Silent Generation and early Baby Boomers; Xers are also often the parents of Millennials and Generation Z . As children in the 1970s and 1980s, a time of shifting societal values, Gen Xers were sometimes called the " Latchkey Generation", which stems from their returning as children from school to an empty home and needing to use
1440-660: The dot-com bubble eventually burst in 2000, early Gen Xers who had embarked as entrepreneurs in the IT industry while riding the Internet wave, as well as newly qualified programmers at the tail-end of the generation (who had grown up with AOL and the first Web browsers ), were both caught in the crash. This had major repercussions, with cross-generational consequences; five years after the bubble burst, new matriculation of IT Millennial undergraduates fell by 40% and by as much as 70% in some information systems programs. However, following
1512-402: The zeitgeist of the generation with a portrayal of the attitudes and lifestyle choices of the time. Negative stereotypes of Gen X young adults continued, including that they were "bleak, cynical, and disaffected". In 1998, such stereotypes prompted sociological research at Stanford University to study the accuracy of the characterization of Gen X young adults as cynical and disaffected. Using
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#17327915529521584-478: The "baby busters" generation rather than as Generation X . In Canada, professor David Foot describes Generation X as late boomers and includes those born between 1960 and 1966, whilst the "Bust Generation", those born between 1967 and 1979, is considered altogether a separate generation, in his 1996 book Boom Bust & Echo: How to Profit from the Coming Demographic Shift . People born in
1656-550: The "once pitied but now envied group of self-employed workers whose income is reported to the Internal Revenue Service not on a W-2 form , but on Form 1099 ". Consumer access to the Internet and its commercial development throughout the 1990s witnessed a frenzy of IT initiatives. Newly created companies, launched on stock exchanges globally, were formed with dubitable revenue generation or cash flow. When
1728-445: The 1985 scheme Plan Informatique pour Tous (IPT) . In the U.S., Generation X was the first cohort to grow up post-integration after the racist Jim Crow laws. 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, Strauss reported Gen Xers were "by any measure
1800-531: 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 " dark horse demographic" which "doesn't seek the limelight". Gordiner cites examples of Gen Xers' contributions to society such as: Google , Misplaced Pages , Amazon.com , and YouTube , arguing that if Boomers had created them, "we'd never hear
1872-460: The UK (1967), France (1975), West Germany (1976), New Zealand (1977), Italy (1978), and the Netherlands (1980). From 1973 to 1980, the abortion rate per 1,000 US women aged 15–44 increased from 16% to 29% with more than 9.6 million terminations of pregnancy practiced. Between 1970 and 1980, on average, for every 10 American citizens born, 3 were aborted. However, increased immigration during
1944-434: The Western world, a similar time period was defined by a dominance of conservatism and free market economics. In their midlife during the early 21st century, research describes Gen Xers as active, happy, and achieving a work–life balance. The cohort has also been more broadly credited as entrepreneurial, and productive in the workplace. The term Generation X has been used at various times to describe alienated youth. In
2016-469: The World , include those born between 1961 and 1977 but possibly as late as 1980. George Masnick of the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies puts this generation in the time-frame of 1965 to 1984, in order to satisfy the premise that boomers, Xers, and millennials "cover equal 20-year age spans". In 2004, journalist J. Markert also acknowledged the 20-year increments but goes one step further and subdivides
2088-864: The cohort became socially and politically conscious during the Reagan Era . President Ronald Reagan , voted in office principally by the Boomer generation, embraced laissez-faire economics with vigor. His policies included cuts in the growth of government spending, reduction in taxes for the higher echelon of society, legalization of stock buybacks , and deregulation of key industries. The early 1980s recession saw unemployment rise to 10.8% in 1982; requiring, more often than not, dual parental incomes. One in five American children grew up in poverty during this time. The federal debt almost tripled during Reagan's time in office, from $ 998 billion in 1981 to $ 2.857 trillion in 1989, placing greater burden of repayment on
2160-630: The course of a few months it was retitled as simply Vancouver. . Parry would go on to be editor for 16 years. Vancouver Magazine published 10 times a year and is owned by the Yellow Pages , and shares an office and editorial staff with sister publication Western Living It also currently publishes the special interest annual magazine Best of the City and Neighbourhood Guide . Yellow Pages acquired Vancouver Magazine and Western Living from Transcontinental in 2015. In 2012, it won Magazine of
2232-423: The crisis, sociologist Mike Males reported continued confidence and optimism among the cohort. He reported "surveys consistently find 80% to 90% of Gen Xers self-confident and optimistic". Males wrote "these young Americans should finally get the recognition they deserve", praising the cohort and stating that "the permissively raised, universally deplored Generation X is the true 'great generation', for it has braved
Generation X - Misplaced Pages Continue
2304-529: The date-range selected. In the U.S., using Census population projections, the Pew Research Center found that the Gen X population born from 1965 to 1980 numbered 65.2 million in 2019. The cohort is likely to overtake Boomers in 2028. A 2010 Census report counted approximately 84 million people living in the US who are defined by birth years ranging from the early 1960s to the early 1980s. In
2376-573: The definition used there is "born in the late 1950s and 1960s", which is about ten years earlier than definitions that came later. In 1987, Coupland had written a piece in Vancouver Magazine titled "Generation X" which was "the seed of what went on to become the book". Coupland referenced Billy Idol's band Generation X in the 1987 article and again in 1989 in Vista magazine. In the book proposal for his novel, Coupland writes that Generation X
2448-476: The delay in naming this demographic cohort 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 (which refers to the drop in birth rates following the baby boom in the western world, particularly in the U.S.), New Lost Generation , latchkey kids , MTV Generation , and the 13th Generation (the 13th generation since American independence ). Generation X
2520-576: The demand via 8-bit and 16-bit machines . This in turn stimulated the software industries with corresponding developments for backup storage, use of the floppy disk , zip drive , and CD-ROM . At school, several computer projects were supported by the Department of Education under United States Secretary of Education Terrel Bell 's "Technology Initiative". This was later mirrored in the UK's 1982 Computers for Schools programme and, in France, under
2592-452: The early 1950s, Hungarian photographer Robert Capa first used Generation X as the title for a photo-essay about young men and women growing up immediately following World War II . The term first appeared in print in a December 1952 issue of Holiday magazine announcing their upcoming publication of Capa's photo-essay. From 1976 to 1981, English musician Billy Idol used the moniker as the name for his punk rock band . Idol had attributed
2664-618: 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". Gen Xers came of age or were children during the 1980s crack epidemic , which disproportionately impacted urban areas as well as the African-American community. The U.S. Drug turf battles increased violent crime. Crack addiction impacted communities and families. Between 1984 and 1989,
2736-556: The end of it". In the book, Gordinier contrasts Gen Xers to Baby Boomers, saying Boomers tend to trumpet their accomplishments more than Gen Xers do, creating what he describes as "elaborate mythologies" around their achievements. Gordiner cites Steve Jobs as an example, while Gen Xers, he argues, are more likely to "just quietly do their thing". In a 2007 article published in the Harvard Business Review , authors Strauss and Howe wrote of Generation X: "They are already
2808-414: The family), and grew callous to the loss." The Gen X childhood coincided with the sexual revolution of the 1960s to 1980s, which Susan Gregory Thomas described in her book In Spite of Everything as confusing and frightening for children in cases where a parent would bring new sexual partners into their home. Thomas also discussed how divorce was different during the Gen X childhood, with the child having
2880-449: The federal budget for supply-reduction efforts. Fear of the impending AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and 1990s loomed over the formative years of Generation X. The emergence of AIDS coincided with Gen X's adolescence, with the disease first clinically observed in the U.S. in 1981. By 1985, an estimated one-to-two million Americans were HIV-positive. This particularly hit the LGBT community. As
2952-696: The generation into two 10-year cohorts with early and later members of the generation. The first begins in 1966 and ends in 1975 and the second begins in 1976 and ends in 1985; this thinking is applied to each generation (Silent, boomers, Gen X, millennials, etc.). Based on external events of historical importance, Schewe and Noble in 2002 argue that a cohort is formed against significant milestones and can be any length of time. Against this logic, Generation X begins in 1966 and ends in 1976, with those born between 1955 and 1965 being labelled as "trailing-edge boomers". The 1994 book Baby Busters: The Disillusioned Generation by George Barna refers to those born 1965–1983 as
Generation X - Misplaced Pages Continue
3024-666: The greatest entrepreneurial generation in U.S. history; their high-tech savvy and marketplace resilience have helped America prosper in the era of globalization." According to authors Michael Hais and Morley Winograd: Demography Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.236 via cp1112 cp1112, Varnish XID 971591507 Upstream caches: cp1112 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 10:59:13 GMT Vancouver Magazine Vancouver Magazine
3096-476: The homicide rate for black males aged 14 to 17 doubled in the U.S., 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. In 1986, President Reagan signed the Anti-Drug Abuse Act to enforce strict mandatory minimum sentencing for drug users. He also increased
3168-461: 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 this was particularly so 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
3240-419: The incoming generation. Government expenditure shifted from domestic programs to defense. Remaining funding initiatives, moreover, tended to be diverted away from programs for children and often 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. These programs for
3312-399: The job market at the end of the 1980s, economic conditions were challenging and did not show signs of major improvements until the mid-1990s. In the U.S., restrictive monetary policy to curb rising inflation and the collapse of a large number of savings and loan associations (private banks that specialized in home mortgages ) impacted the welfare of many American households. This precipitated
3384-576: The late 1950s, until an upswing in the late 1970s and eventual recovery at the start of the 1980s. In the U.S., the Pew Research Center , a non-partisan think-tank, delineates a Generation X period of 1965–1980 which has, albeit gradually, come to gain acceptance in academic circles. Moreover, although fertility rates are preponderant in the definition of start and end dates, the center remarks: "Generations are analytical constructs, it takes time for popular and expert consensus to develop as to
3456-532: The late 1960s when state laws were amended and reduced the age of majority from 21 to ages 18–20. These policies are commonly referred to as the Early Legal Access (ELA) laws. Another major factor was abortion , only available in a few states until its legalisation in a 1973 US Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade . This was replicated elsewhere, with reproductive rights legislation passed, notably in
3528-709: The latter half of the Baby Boomers from the early 1960s to the early years of Generation X are sometimes called Generation Jones . People born in the Generation X / millennial cusp years of the late 1970s and early to mid-1980s are sometimes called Xennials . Other names include the Star Wars Generation, Generation Catalano, and the Oregon Trail Generation. These "microgenerations" share characteristics of both generations. There are differences in Gen X population numbers depending on
3600-477: The least racist of today's generations". In the U.S., Title IX , which passed in 1972, provided increased athletic opportunities to Gen X girls in the public school setting. Roots , based on the novel by Alex Haley and broadcast as a 12-hour series, was viewed as a turning point in the country's ability to relate to the Afro-American history. In the U.S., compared to the Boomer generation, Generation X
3672-406: The left of the political spectrum, the disappointments with the previous Boomer student mobilizations of the 1960s and the collapse of those movements towards a consumerist " greed is good " and " yuppie " culture during the 1980s felt, to a greater extent, hypocrisy if not outright betrayal. Hence, the preoccupation on "authenticity" and not "selling-out". The Revolutions of 1989 and the collapse of
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#17327915529523744-437: The many cultural influences on Gen X youth included a proliferation of musical genres with strong social-tribal identity such as alternative rock , hip hop , punk , post-punk , rave , and heavy metal , in addition to later forms developed by Gen Xers themselves (e.g., grunge , grindcore and related genres). Film, both the birth of franchise mega-sequels and a proliferation of independent film (enabled in part by video ),
3816-442: The merry-go-round of status, money, and social climbing that so often frames modern existence. Author William Strauss 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. Strauss's coauthor Neil Howe noted
3888-593: The military to fight the War on Terror . The Jury Expert , a publication of The American Society of Trial Consultants, reported: "Gen X members responded to the terrorist attacks with bursts of patriotism and national fervor that surprised even themselves." In 2011, survey analysis from the Longitudinal Study of American Youth found Gen Xers (defined as those who were then between the ages of 30 and 50) to be "balanced, active, and happy" in midlife and as achieving
3960-467: The name of his band to the book Generation X , a 1964 book on British popular youth culture written by journalists Jane Deverson and Charles Hamblett—a copy of which had been owned by Idol's mother. These uses of the term appear to have no connection to Robert Capa's photo-essay. The term acquired a modern application after the release of Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture , a 1991 novel written by Canadian author Douglas Coupland ; however,
4032-544: 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
4104-612: The political front, in the U.S. the generation became ambivalent if not outright disaffected with politics. They had been reared in the shadow of the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal . They came to maturity under the Reagan and George H. W. Bush presidencies, with first-hand experience of the impact of neoliberal policies. Few had experienced a Democratic administration and even then, only, at an atmospheric level. For those on
4176-411: The precise boundaries that demarcate one generation from another." Pew takes into account other factors, notably the labor market as well as attitudinal and behavioral trends of a group. Writing for Pew 's Trend magazine in 2018, psychologist Jean Twenge observed that the "birth year boundaries of Gen X are debated but settle somewhere around 1965–1980". According to this definition, the oldest Gen Xer
4248-481: The previously reported negative stereotypes and reported positive accomplishments. The article cited Gen Xers' tendency to found technology startup companies and small businesses, as well as their ambition, which research showed was higher among Gen X young adults than older generations. Yet, the slacker moniker stuck. As the decade progressed, Gen X gained a reputation for entrepreneurship . In 1999, The New York Times dubbed them "Generation 1099", describing them as
4320-456: The same period of time helped to partially offset declining birth-rates and contributed to making Generation X an ethnically and culturally diverse demographic cohort. Generally, Gen Xers are the children of the Silent Generation and older Baby Boomers. Strauss and Howe, who wrote several books on generations, including one specifically on Generation X titled 13th Gen: Abort, Retry, Ignore, Fail? (1993), reported that Gen Xers were children at
4392-560: The socialist utopia with the fall of the Berlin Wall , moreover, added to the disillusionment that any alternative to the capitalist model was possible. In 1990, Time magazine published an article titled "Living: Proceeding with Caution", which described those then in their 20s as aimless and unfocused. Media pundits and advertisers further struggled to define the cohort, typically portraying them as "unfocused twentysomethings ". A MetLife report noted: "media would portray them as
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#17327915529524464-459: The struggle for child custody and the demise of the traditional nuclear family. The rapid influx of Boomer women into the labor force that began in the 1970s was marked by the confidence of many in their ability to successfully pursue a career while meeting the needs of their children. This resulted in an increase in latchkey children , leading to the terminology of the "latchkey generation" for Generation X. These children lacked adult supervision in
4536-541: The terrorist attacks. Gen X survey respondents reported that they no longer wanted to live alone. In October 2001, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer wrote of Gen Xers: "Now they could be facing the most formative events of their lives and their generation." The Greensboro News & Record reported members of the cohort "felt a surge of patriotism since terrorists struck" by giving blood, working for charities, donating to charities, and by joining
4608-463: The total number of Gen X individuals in the U.S. was 88.5 million. The birth control pill , introduced in 1960, was one contributing factor of declining birth rates. Initially, the pill spread rapidly amongst married women as an approved treatment for menstrual disturbance. However, it was also found to prevent pregnancy and was prescribed as a contraceptive in 1964. "The pill", as it became commonly known, reached younger, unmarried college women in
4680-526: The virus spread, at a time before effective treatments were available, 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 them. Gen Xers were the first children to have access to personal computers in their homes and at schools. In the early 1980s, the growth in the use of personal computers exploded. Manufacturers such as Commodore , Atari , and Apple responded to
4752-545: The work of Gen Xers. In the U.S., Gen Xers were described as the major heroes of the September 11 terrorist attacks by author William Strauss. The firefighters and police responding to the attacks were predominantly from Generation X. Additionally, the leaders of the passenger revolt on United Airlines Flight 93 were also, by majority, Gen Xers. Author Neil Howe reported survey data which showed that Gen Xers were cohabiting and getting married in increasing numbers following
4824-455: The workforce at a time before childcare options outside the home were widely available. McCrindle Research Centre described the cohort as "the first to grow up without a large adult presence, with both parents working", stating this led to Gen Xers being more peer-oriented than previous generations. Some older Gen Xers started high school in the waning years of the Carter presidency, but much of
4896-442: 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." In 2014, Pew Research provided further insight, describing the cohort as "savvy, skeptical and self-reliant; they're not into preening or pampering, and they just might not give much of
4968-547: Was also a notable cultural influence. Video games, both in amusement parlours and in devices in Western homes, were also a major part of juvenile entertainment for the first time. Politically, Generation X experienced the last days of communism in the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc countries of Central and Eastern Europe , witnessing the transition to capitalism in these regions during their youth. In much of
5040-542: Was an increase of 53%, effectively a doubling in student intake. As the 1990s progressed, Gen X college enrollments continued to climb, with increased loan borrowing as the cost of an education became substantially more expensive compared to their peers in the mid-1980s. By 1998, the generation's last year of college enrollment, those entering the higher education sector totaled 14.3 million. In addition, unlike Boomers and previous generations, women outpaced men in college completion rates. For early Gen Xer graduates entering
5112-439: Was more educated than their parents. The share of young adults enrolling in college steadily increased from 1983, before peaking in 1998. In 1965, as early Boomers entered college, total enrollment of new undergraduates was just over 5.7 million individuals across the public and private sectors. By 1983, the first year of Gen X college enrollments (as per Pew Research's definition), this figure had reached 12.2 million. This
5184-458: Was speaking the patois of: Gilligan's Island meets 'What the fuck happened in my life?' By the mid-late 1990s, under Bill Clinton 's presidency, economic optimism had returned to the U.S., with unemployment reduced from 7.5% in 1992 to 4% in 2000. Younger members of Gen X, straddling across administrations, politically experienced a "liberal renewal". In 1997, Time magazine published an article titled "Generation X Reconsidered", which retracted
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