Generation X

Generation X :

commonly abbreviated to Gen X is the generation born after the baby boom ended Erliest birth dates seen used by researchers ranging from 1961 to the latest 1981.

The term Generation X has been used in demography, the social sciences, and marketing, though it is most often used in popular culture.

Origin :

1 - In the UK

the term was first used in a 1964 study of British youth by Jane Deverson. Deverson was asked by Woman's Own magazine to interview teenagers of the time. The study revealed a generation of teenagers who

1 - sleep together before they are married,
2 - were not taught to believe in God as 'much',
3 - dislike the Queen, and don't respect parents,

these controversial findings meant that the piece was deemed unsuitable for the magazine. Deverson, in an attempt to save her research, worked with Hollywood correspondent Charles Hamblett to create a book about the study. Hamblett decided to name it Generation X.

The term was popularized by Canadian author Douglas Coupland’s 1991 novel, Generation X Tales for an Accelerated Culture, concerning young adults during the late 1980s. While Coupland's book helped to popularize the phrase “Generation X,” in a 1989 magazine article, he erroneously attributed the term to Billy Idol. In fact, Idol had been a member of the punk band Generation X from 1976-1981, which was named after Deverson and Hamblett's 1965 sociology book—a copy of which was owned by Idol's mother.


2 - in the US

Individuals considered to be within Generation X were born, and grew up during the later years of, and in the decade following the Vietnam War. They are most often linked to the presidencies of Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush.Coming of age after the Vietnam War had ended, their political experiences and cultural perspective were shaped by the end of the cold war and the fall of the Berlin wall. Growing up in an historical span of relative geopolitical peace for the US, this generation saw the inception of the home computer, the rise of videogames, and the Internet as a tool for social and commercial purposes. Other attributes identified with this demographic are Dot-com businesses, early MTV, Desert Storm, 80's Rock, such as Van Halen and Bon Jovi, Grunge and Hip hop culture and punk rock bands such as The Ramones. Manga and other graphic novels have also emerged as a popular form of literature for members of this generation and Generation Y.

The US Census Bureau cites Generation X as statistically holding the highest education levels when looking at age group US Census Bureau, in their 2009 Statistical Abstract. (Also see Education Statistics Canada, 2001 Census.) Moreover, in economics, a study (done by Pew Charitable Trusts, the American Enterprise Institute, the Brookings Institute, the Heritage Foundation and the Urban Institute) challenged the notion that each generation will be better off than the one that preceded it.The study, 'Economic Mobility: Is the American Dream Alive and Well?" focuses on the income of males 30-39 in 2004 (those born April, 1964 – March, 1974) and is based on Census/BLS CPS March supplement data.

The study, which was released on May 25, 2007, emphasized that in real dollars, this generation's men made less (by 12%) than their fathers had at that same age in 1974, thus reversing a historical trend. The study also suggests that per year increases in the portion of father/son family household income generated by fathers/sons have slowed (from an average of 0.9% to 0.3%), barely keeping pace with inflation, though increases in overall father/son family household income are progressively higher each year because more women are entering the workplace, contributing to family household income.