Go ahead
– define a generation. It sounds deceptively simple. We’re not
talking about what moment defined the generation or what invention
– we’re talking about dates. When does one generation start and end
and the next one begin? The only thing about defining a generation
that’s clear is that it’s not
clear at all.
Go ahead – define a generation.
It sounds deceptively simple. We’re not talking about what moment defined the generation or what invention – we’re talking about dates. When does one generation start and end and the next one begin? The only thing about defining a generation that’s clear is that it’s not clear at all.
“I think most people consider generations to be parents – that’s one generation – and their children, which is the next generation,” said Cheryl Boomgaarden, who works at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Hollister Family History Center, where people can trace their genealogy. “But that can vary a lot. Some women have children very young, even in their teens, and other women may decide to wait until their almost 40 to have children. So, would those kids be part of the same generation? I’m not sure.”
The rule of thumb typically used at the Hollister Family History Center and in most arenas is that a generation spans about 20 years. For example, general consensus is the Baby Boomers – the children of the Greatest Generation – were born between 1946-1965. But the Greatest Generation, so dubbed in Tom Brokaw’s book of the same name, generally refers to those born between 1911 and 1924 and who came of age during the Great Depression and World War II – clearly not a 20-year span. (Oddly, this span also excludes many people who fought in the war, such as older generals and 18- or 19-year-old soldiers.)
The 20-year rule gets even more sticky, pointed out Nancy Bales, a social sciences teacher at Gavilan College, when you really think about everything that happens over the course of 20 years.
“After all, we, Baby Boomers, weren’t all the same, either,” she said. “Some of us loved Elvis and some of us were hippies.”
The vast differences that can occur within one generation is also well illustrated by Generation Y, born between 1977 and 1998, according to the American Bar Association. The Internet, cell phones and wireless technology played a very small – if any – role in the childhood and teenage years of kids born in the late ’70s and early ’80s. But it played a significant role in the developmental years of children born in the late ’80s and early ’90s.
When it comes to Generation X, the 20-year rule gets tossed out the window, depending on where you get your definition. Some, such as the job Web site careerbuilder.com, say Gen. Xers were born between 1963 and 1975, though others, such as PC Magazine, say it’s 1960 to 1979. Even the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics fudges the issue by grouping Gen. X and Y together and saying the two generations encompass 1965 to 1987.
For those who can’t be bothered to distinguish between Generation X and Y – or maybe they just can’t tell the difference – the term Gen. XY was coined. And maybe that is the heart of the matter: There are a lot of gray areas where it’s hard to tell who belongs to what generation.
This blurred line became evident to Tracy Murphy, the history department chair for Sobrato High School in Morgan Hill, during a recent class discussion about a controversial magazine ad.
“There’s a Dolce&Gabbana ad that’s made headlines because it shows a woman surrounded by men. One man is holding her down and her skirt is slightly raised,” Murphy explained. “A lot of people felt it depicted gang rape, so the ad was pulled from magazines. I found it offensive and my 24-year-old daughter found it offensive, but most of the kids in my class were kind of numb to it. These were juniors and seniors and they didn’t see what was so awful. It made me wonder where that change in perspective happened.”
Further complicating the issue is the transient generation label of “Generation MTV.” This label refers to whatever part of the population – typically those ranging from their teens to early 20s – that MTV appeals to most.
Or maybe the labels in general complicate the issue. Generation Y is also called “Generation Why?” because they’ve been stereotyped as an apathetic group, according to numerous blogs, university professors and newspapers. They’ve also been called the echo generation because they’re the children of the Baby Boomers, and “the Millennials” because they came of age around the time that Y2K was a hot topic. Generation Z, those born from 1994 to present, have also been referred to as the DotNets, because they have no concept of an existence without the Internet, and also as the 9/11 generation because they have no strong memories of what life was like before 9/11, the daily threat of terrorism or war in the Middle East. To top it all off, there’s a crossover of Generation Y and Z that some have called Generation Next, while others have considered the terms “Generation Y” and “Generation Next” interchangeable, according to The Pew Research Center.
“What I wonder, however, is why we seem to have a need to put people born in a particular range of time into a box together and label them,” Bales said.
The Pew Research Center has tried to break down generations into specific categories in order to determine what groups of people are more likely to vote, be involved in public issues or become working mothers. They’ve also tried to determine the political views of different generations by determining their opinions on topics such as interracial marriages, abortion and unmarried couples having children.
But if you’re still unclear about what generation started when and which one you belong to, don’t worry. We’re still unclear, too.
What makes a generation?
We’ve taken all of the random information regarding
the definition of generations to heart and now we’re
putting our foot down.
Generation Defining Years
Greatest Generation 1911 – 1924
Silent Generation 1925-1945
Baby Boomers 1946 – 1964
Generation X 1965 -1976
Generation Y 1977 – 1994
Generation Z 1995 – present
