Latchkey Kids, Baby Busters, Slackers, Thirteeners, Proverbial Middle Children of History

Latchkey Kids, Baby Busters, Slackers, Thirteeners? Who is Generation X? We are all of the above, the so-called lost and forgotten generation whose birth years by broadest definition were between 1961 and 1981. Thus, in 2020, the age range of Gen-Xers is 38 to 58 years old. According to these parameters, there are approximately 70 million Gen-Xers currently living in the United States; however, journalists, sociologists, historians, marketers, etc., frequently move the parameters to fit a narrative or theory. Thus, at times, the number of Gen-Xers is under-reported. For example, the birth years of 1965 to 1980 would correlate with roughly 50 million Americans. Also, all numbers are inclusive of immigrants.

The proverbial middle-child of history, Generation X is stuck in the middle between two larger and more boisterous generations, the Millennials and the Baby Boomers. We are the overprotective helicopter parents of Millennials and Generation Z. We are the under-protected children of Baby Boomers and the Lucky Few, more frequently referred to as the Silent Generation. For whatever reason (there are many) we are frequently ignored, which leaves us famously brooding as we are often dismissed by marketers, the media, historians, etc. CBSN validated this point in 2019 when they omitted us from a chart defining all living generations. Nevertheless, we do exist and are in fact the 13th generation of Americans. In fact, before the term Generation X caught on, they called us thirteeners and Baby Busters.

Definition: Who Is Generation X? What Are The Years?

Generation X, by the broadest definition, includes those individuals born between the early 1960s and the early 1980s. The collective persona of Gen Xers is frequently debated and discussed among academics and marketing experts worldwide. The term traditionally applies to North Americans (the United States and Canada); Australia; England; Ireland and various other European countries.

Today, there are about 70 million members of Generation X in the United States. We were originally called Baby Busters because our birth years follow the baby boom that began after World War II. That boom began to decline in 1957 and was further hastened by FDA approval of oral contraceptives in 1960. By 1965, 6.5 million women were on “the pill”, and in 1973, abortion was legalized. Some have referred to us as a nameless and unlucky generation.

What Years Are Generation X?

The years for Generation X vary among historians, government agencies, and marketing firms. Here’s how some break it down.

Neil Howe and the late William Strauss defined the generation in the broadest terms I have come across: 1961 to 1981 . They wrote this book, 13th Gen: Abort, Retry, Ignore, Fail? about Xers. It’s available on Amazon and I highly recommend it.

. They wrote this book, about Xers. It’s available on Amazon and I highly recommend it. The United States Social Security Administration defines Generation X as “those born roughly between 1964 and 1979.

The United States Social Security Administration defines Generation X as “those born roughly between Another federal agency, the U.S. Department of Defense, sets the parameters at 1965 to 1977 .

. George Masnick of Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies sets the Baby Buster years at 1965 to 1984.

Primarily, generations stem from shared experiences. Depending on your birth order, the area of the country where you grew up and other influences, you may identify with one generation more than another. That is perfectly fine. All of this is subjective. It’s worth noting the simple definition of a generation found at Dictionary.com.

The entire body of individuals born and living at about the same time…

The term of years, roughly 30 among human beings, accepted as the average period between the birth of parents and the birth of their offspring.

A group of individuals, most of whom are the same approximate age, having similar ideas, problems, attitudes, etc. (Compare Beat Generation, Lost Generation, etc.)

A group of individuals belonging to a specific category at the same time…

Ultimately, opinions vary on when generations begin and end. You must decide for yourself where you belong. In my opinion, people should claim the generation whose collective persona most reflects their own life experiences.

Generation X Ages | How Big Is Generation X?

The age range for Generation X as of 2020 is 38 to 58 (my broadest definition). We are currently the “sandwich generation” in America. We are caring for aging parents and raising about 50 percent of the nation’s children under 18.

According to Douglas Coupland, author of Generation X: Tales of an Accelerated Culture, Generation X was born during the single most anti-child phase in American history. In the early 1960s, the birth control pill became widely available, and in 1973, abortion was legalized. These two factors contributed to Generation X’s low numbers. (Suggested reading on the impact of abortion on Generation X: A Nameless, Unlucky Generation) According to Jeff Gordinier, in his book, How Generation X Got the Shaft, But Can Still Keep Everything From Sucking, Baby Boomers number 76 million and Millennials, 80 million. Generation X is sandwiched between them with 46 million. This is expertly challenged, however, by the 2010 Census, which puts the total U.S. population around 311.8 million.

The following numbers are for everyone over 18. These individuals collectively represent 236.8 million Americas.

G.I. (born 1901-1924), 4.5 million

Silent (born 1925-1942), 26.2 million

Baby Boomer (born 1943-1960), 65.6 million

Generation X (born 1961-1981), 65.2 million

Generation Y (born 1982-2001) 18+, 52.0 million

Two-thirds of the remaining 75 million are Gen Y who are under 18

The remaining one-third (25 to 30 million) is Generation Z.

So, why do we hear that Generation X is so small when the numbers tell a different story? That’s a great question with a relatively simple answer: immigration.

Characteristics

A little ditty ’bout Jack and Diane Two American kids growing up in the Heartland…

Jack and Diane, John Cougar Mellencamp, 1982

When it comes to generations, characteristics and traits are often referred to as the collective persona. Not everyone buys into generational theory and some accuse historians, marketers, and social scientists of stereotyping people. I enjoyed the book, Generations, by Neil Howe and the late William Strauss. These historians came up with a “bold and imaginative” theory that is based on recurring generational cycles in American history. That history began in 1584. This theory is difficult to summarize, and I couldn’t do it justice even if I tried. A brief overview of the framework, however, may inspire you to check their book out of your local library.

Basically, the historians maintain that generations fall into one of four archetypes and occur in one of four cycles that go on repeating themselves. The archetypes are prophet, nomad, hero, artist and the cycles are high, awakening, unraveling and crisis. Consequently, everything they’ve written about Generation X has been spot-on for me. Others may see it differently. With that, here are some of the stereotypical traits of Generation X. Keep in mind, much of this persona was fleshed out in the 1980 and 90s. Today, Xers are in or approaching middle age and a different persona has emerged.

Adrift, Apathetic, Cynical

In youth and childhood, Generation X was often described as being adrift. The archetype of loner emerged. In reality, members, especially young men, were disenfranchised by a loss of familial support and later technology. Think video games. In adulthood, the introspective, disconnected Gen-Xer has re-engaged through social media. We’ve discovered that our stories aren’t unique. In fact, the narratives are strikingly similar. Facebook is dominated by Generation X and through millions of status updates we’ve discovered our shared history, our shared secrets.

Many Gen-Xers distrust authority and large institutions including corporations, religious institutions, and the government. The following is a list of historical events that occurred during Generation X’s coming of age, which contributed to the Gen-Xer-As-Cynic stereotype.

The Energy Crisis of the 1970s

Watergate

Iran Contra (the 1980s)

Nuclear Disasters including Three-Mile Island

Silkwood/Kerr McGee

Union Carbide and Chernobyl

Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster

Widespread Layoffs of the 1980s

Dot Com Boom and Bust of the 1990s

Corporate Greed

Clinton-Lewinsky Scandal

In more recent years, the Great Recession has underscored and validated that cynicism. It was Generation X, not Gen Y that founded Occupy Wall Street.

Entrepreneurial

A lot of Gen Xers struggled to find jobs after college. According to a report by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the year my husband graduated from college (1988), there was a sharp rise in joblessness among college-educated men, age 24 and under. (It rose from 4.8 to 7.9.) This trend continued until 1991.

The situation wasn’t much better for Gen X women. Thus, many Gen Xers roamed aimlessly after college, unable to secure jobs with their expensive Bachelor’s degrees. To make matters worse, the student loans that Generation X used to finance college, were loaned at much higher rates than what Baby Boomers were afforded.

For example, my sisters, who are eight and 10 years older than me, got 3-percent loans. My loans, however, were 8 percent. The cost of a college education was higher for Generation X and the jobs were more scarce. When you did find one, you couldn’t make enough money to make your loan payments. So we deferred them or defaulted on them. It was all so very messy. People talk about Millennials and the student loan crisis, but it began with Generation X.

Hardworking

Xers are reportedly the hardest working generation in the workforce — the “workhorses of America.” Longtime, mid-level careerists are finally ascending to the corner office and their no-nonsense leadership will bring refreshing changes to the workplace. This includes greater workplace flexibility and an ability to understand the needs of a multi-generational workforce better than anyone.

Reality Bites

Many of the aforementioned problems are among the themes explored in the iconic Generation X movie Reality Bites. Janeane Garafalo plays a college graduate working as a sales associate at The Gap. In addition to making Winona Ryder the darling of her generation, the film helped nurture the entrepreneurial spirit of Generation X. In fact, famous Gen X entrepreneurs include the founders of Google, Twitter, and Amazon.

Unfortunately, the movie also helped nurture a negative stereotype of Generation X: The Slacker who lives in his parents’ basement well into adulthood. This image is one of the reasons many Gen Xers distanced themselves from identifying with their generation.

Today, younger Gen Xers take more pride in the Gen X label than older Xers who endured the original stereotype. In fact, “Generation X” pretty much remained a pejorative until Millennials began receiving an insane amount of media coverage around 2012.

Educated, Ethnically Diverse, Individualistic

Compared to the generations that came before us, Generation X is a highly-educated generation of Americans. More than 60 percent of Gen-Xers have attended college at one time or another.

Generation X grew up without segregation. They grew up loving Different Strokes and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. These cultural influences contributed to a generation that is more accepting and more inclusive of others. Generation X has long embraced diversity. Moreover, Hip Hop is widely recognized as the music born of Generation X.

We also pride ourselves on being individualistic. Our mothers worked and our fathers left. Perhaps for you, it was the other way around. Either way, divorce was a major factor in the developing resourcefulness, independence, and self-sufficiency of Generation X. Autonomy was a consequence of unstable childhoods. Interestingly, the lack of coddling in childhood has created a generation of parents who coddle their kids’ every whim. This overcompensation is frequently defined as over-parenting. (More on Gen-Xers as parents below.)

Casual Disdain for Everything, Authority

Generation X is often criticized for a snarky and casual disdain for authority. In the workplace, they want freedom coupled with responsibility and they hate being micromanaged. This has created decades of conflict between Baby Boomers and Gen Xers. The American workforce is an interesting state of transition right now because every day thousands of Baby Boomers retire.

Technologically Astute, Flexible

Tech-savvy Gen-Xers have come of age during an interesting time in the world. We remember rotary dial phones and the explosion of mobile technology. Liquid Paper and plunking out term papers on typewriters. Together, we grew up in a world without social media and yet have adapted to it – even invented it – exquisitely. A friend who works in IT explained this so well with the following quote. “I prefer this disposition in life over being from the past and moving to the future. Or being from the future and wondering about the strangeness of the past.”

Maybe it was our turbulent childhoods, but Generation X has proven highly adaptable to change. We saw our parents lose so many jobs. As a result, we remained committed to making whatever changes were necessary in order to get ahead. This has contributed to Generation X being viewed as disloyal to employers or uncommitted to jobs. In reality, Gen-Xers are committed to their own survival.

Work-Life Balance

Gen-Xers value work-life balance. How else could we coach soccer in the fall, basketball in the winter, baseball in the spring all while serving as Boy Scout Troop leader? Gen-Xers value work-life balance because they know the job you sacrifice everything for might not be there tomorrow. Why give it all and lose your family in the process?

Unprotected Childhood: Latchkey Generation

Generation X was born during the greatest anti-child phase in modern American history. Our childhoods were underscored by the following:

Legalized Abortion (Roe vs. Wade)

The invention of Birth Control

Divorce and ultimately, absent fathers

and ultimately, Working Mothers

Latchkey Kids

Historical Events

Ninety-nine red balloons

Floating in the summer sky

Panic bells, it’s red alert

There’s something here from somewhere else

The war machine springs to life

Opens up one eager eye

Focusing it on the sky

Where ninety-nine red balloons go by

99 Luftballons, Nena, 1983

Generation X and The Civil Rights Movement

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 ended racial segregation in schools. Thus, Generation X in its entirety was raised in schools that were racially diverse. In 2010, a Florida newspaper ran an article about Generation X being the first “colorblind” generation.

Other key historical events are listed under the cultural touchstones portion of this article. They include nuclear events like Three Mile Island, the Gulf War, the Cold War, the Iranian Hostage Crisis, and the Berlin Wall.

Divorce, Working Moms, Latchkey Kids Shape Generation X

From the late 1960s to the 1980s, divorce rates in the United States more than doubled. In 1969, no-fault divorce laws swept across America leaving the wreckage of broken homes from coast-to-coast. The primary casualties were young Gen-Xers. In the 1970s, 50 percent of us became children of divorce. In addition, between 1969 and 1996, the number of working mothers in the workforce also doubled. Consequently, many households were headed by working single moms. It’s estimated that as many as 40 percent of Gen Xers were latchkey kids who returned home from school to empty houses. Their childhoods and youth were marked by a lack of supervision, excessive household and family responsibilities, and isolation.

Rushed Through Childhood

The pendulum swung wide on the consequences of the latchkey childhood. Unsupervised Gen X children and youth ran the gamut of those who watched too much TV and didn’t do their homework to those who fell into escalating levels of crime. According to Coupland, inwardly-focused Baby Boomers sometimes regarded their children as “obstacles to their self-exploration,” and thus resulted in permissive parenting of grand proportion. In addition, on top of spending many hours bored and lonely, Coupland also concludes that Generation X was “rushed through childhood.”

Today, the number of latchkey kids has declined. In 2000, Generation X parents along with school administrators helped to get federal legislation passed, which provided seed money for after-school tutoring programs in lower-income schools. Generation Xers understand firsthand how dangerous the hours between 3 to 6 p.m. can be for children.

Generation X, The Cold War, and Terrorism

In summary, pretty much everything I have to say about Generation X and the Cold War is highlighted in a radio commentary I wrote in September 2011. Apart from this, you may be interested in some of these posts. Search the Cold War tag to find all these posts:

5 world views shaped by sesame street and the Berlin Wall

Berlin Wall film on PBS [The Wall – A World Divided]

Thawing of Cold War Precipitated Hundreds of Base Closures

4 examples of Cold-War culture that shaped our fear of Russia

My Perestroika and the Rise of Soviet Nostalgia

Protests

Finally, for more information on events of historical significance, read the posts below including Five Forgotten Protests of Generation X. They include Love Canal, Earth Day 1990, and protests against apartheid.

Gen-Xers As Parents

During childhood, Generation X was an unprotected generation, one of the most in modern history. There were no after-school programs when we were growing up. Our families were broken by divorce and addiction. Sexual abuse was rampant and largely unchecked. These terrible experiences birthed a generation of helicopter parents. Over-parenting is the norm among Gen-Xers. (We wrote the book on extreme kid birthday parties.) The downside of all this is obvious, but the upside is found in something Tami Erickson said about Generation X. She called us the most devoted parents in American history. I loved that.

Hence, I’ve written the following posts about Gen-Xers as parents.

The Growing Backlash Against Gen X Parents: Helicopter Parents and Overparenting

Generation Latchkey

Latchkey Memoir

Generation X: Most Devoted Parents In History Create World’s Rudest Kids

Teacher’s Guide To Gen X Parents

Bring Your Mom To Work Day

Books on Gen X

Furthermore, you can check out a great collection of book titles on Amazon to help you answer the question, Who Is Generation X. Here are some of my favorites:

Fashion and Pop Culture Touchstones

Ultimately, answering the query of Who Is Generation X is an ongoing project. Therefore, I would love to have your help! I’m always adding to the following list of cultural touchstones.

Cold, Sugary Cereals

Saturday Morning Cartoons

MTV – MTV had a big impact on fashion. Think Madonna with her lace everything. Bustiers, bangles, and chains. Also, Michael Jackson jackets and gloves. MC Hammer pants, parachute pants, acid-washed jeans, neon. and much more.

MTV had a big impact on fashion. Think Madonna with her lace everything. Bustiers, bangles, and chains. Also, Michael Jackson jackets and gloves. MC Hammer pants, parachute pants, acid-washed jeans, neon. and much more. Grunge Music

Kurt Cobain

Environmental Disasters – Three-Mile Island, Love Canal, Union Carbide

Three-Mile Island, Love Canal, Union Carbide Who is Generation X? Gen-Xers in Flannel, of course.

Designer Jeans — Calvin Klein, Gloria Vanderbilt, Jordache, Chic, Bill Blass

— Calvin Klein, Gloria Vanderbilt, Jordache, Chic, Bill Blass Big Hair



Michael Jackson, Styx, Journey, Foreigner, Night Ranger, Air Supply.

More Touchstones

John Hughes Films — The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, etc. (Obviously, his movies do a great job of answering the Who Is Generation X question!)

The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, etc. (Obviously, his movies do a great job of answering the Who Is Generation X question!) Berlin Wall and the Cold War

Who is Generation X? Overwhelmingly, Latchkey Kids and Children of Divorce

and HIV/AIDS and the Safe Sex Movement

Boom Boxes followed by Walkmans — Without a doubt, they gave us the ability to make our music “mobile”

followed by — Without a doubt, they gave us the ability to make our music “mobile” The word ALTERNATIVE — Applied to everything from people, music, clothes, and more.

— Applied to everything from people, music, clothes, and more. Just Say No to Drugs Campaign

Microwaves and the Explosion of Fast Food Chains

Dance Aerobics and the Fitness Movement

Cable TV and Satellite –The expansion of television from just a few channels to a few hundred! Remember when the weather impacted reception? We were always adjusting the antennae. “Just a little more to the right,” my dad would say as I stood in front of the TV trying to get the clearest picture. Also, who can forget the excitement of waiting for Saturday morning cartoons?

–The expansion of television from just a few channels to a few hundred! Remember when the weather impacted reception? We were always adjusting the antennae. “Just a little more to the right,” my dad would say as I stood in front of the TV trying to get the clearest picture. Also, who can forget the excitement of waiting for Saturday morning cartoons? VHS and Video Stores — Weekends started with a trip to the video store. The whole family debated and negotiated what movie to rent. (Be kind. Rewind.)

Ultimately, who is Generation X to you? If you have an idea or contribution please leave me a note or send me an email or Facebook message. In addition, you may also want to check out a fun infographic I created about the sordid parade characters Generation X grew up with.

Xennials

Sometimes, you’ll hear about Generation Jones, a micro-generation between Boomers and Generation X. Gen Jones was born between 1954 and 1965. There are also the Xennials, another micro-generation born between 1977 and 1984.

Finally, Who is Generation X, is copyrighted. Please don’t repost without permission. If you reference it in your research, please list the source.