Millennials and Gen-Z Have a Right to Complain about being Poorer than our Parents
The minimum wage isn’t even close to a living wage anymore in the United States
Working class Millennials and Gen-Z have a right to complain about being poorer than our parents — because we are. When you adjust incomes to inflation, most of us are making much less money than our parents did at our age.
We don’t remember the ‘good old days’ where one income was enough to support a family. Most of us have been working all our lives, with very little to show for it. Many of us even remember both of our parents having to work, since we were the ‘latch-key kids’ of the 1980’s and 1990’s, coming home after school to take care of ourselves.
History of the Minimum Wage
When the minimum wage was first instituted under FDR in the 1930’s it was supposed to be a living wage. This was to ensure that every American had a chance at a good life. However, it hasn’t increased with the times, to make up for inflation rates.
I got my first job in 1998 and the minimum wage was $5.15 per hour. Today in 2023–25 years later — the minimum wage is only $7.25. That means in 25 years, the minimum wage has only gone up a little over $2. It isn’t enough for people…
