Baby Boomers & Millennials — The Greatest Generation Gap in Recent History
A Brief Overview
With the dawn of each generation, new ideas emerge and old ones evolve. We’re familiar with the term “generational gap” to explain changing expectations and behaviours from one generation to another. This gap has never been more pronounced than the Millennials or “Gen Y” (born roughly between 1982–2000) and their Gen X (born roughly between 1961–1981) or Baby Boomer parents (born roughly between 1946–1964). Here’s why…
Millennials are the first generation of digital natives — they never knew a world without technology. They are the most educated generation that has ever existed, yet they graduated during the global financial crisis, and their academic qualifications won’t secure them a job. They are at the frontlines of political and sociocultural change, bridging the gap between Baby Boomers and Gen Z, and have big plans to change the world. Millennials face a unique set of contradictions, opportunities, and challenges. Yet, previous generations often make judgements “on the assumption that (Millennials) are obligated to follow the same path they did, live by the same set of principles, and any deviation from this path is wrong.”
This series Understanding Millennials aims to give Baby Boomers an insight into the nuances and complexities of growing up as the most educated, depressed, anxious and misunderstood generation in recent history.
If you’re the parent of a Millennial or if someone has ever said this to you, then you’re in the right place:
“You’re living in the past — times have changed!”
“You don’t get it, your way of thinking is outdated”
“Why can’t you just try to understand that the world is different now?”
Perhaps you’d like to start with this piece.
However, if you’re not ready to step outside your bubble, please close this window now.
References
AMERICAN SOCIOLOGICAL REVIEW: A New Political Generation: Millennials and the Post-2008 Wave of Protest
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0003122416681031
BERKELEY: The Anxious Generation: Causes and Consequences of Anxiety Disorder Among Young Americans (Policy Brief July 2018)
https://gspp.berkeley.edu/assets/uploads/page/Policy_Brief_Final_071618.pdf
BUSINESS INSIDER: The difference between how millennials and baby boomers consume news, in one chart
https://www.businessinsider.com.au/how-millennials-vs-baby-boomers-get-news-chart-2017-6?r=US&IR=T
PEW RESEARCH: How Millennials today compare with their grandparents 50 years ago
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/03/16/how-millennials-compare-with-their-grandparents/
FORBES: A Millennial Manifesto: Why Gen Y Will Change The World
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ashleystahl/2016/04/28/a-millennial-manifesto/
BROOKINGS: Millennials are on the frontlines of political and cultural change in America
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brookings-now/2018/02/02/millennials-are-on-the-frontlines-of-political-and-cultural-change-in-america/
BROOKINGS: The millennial generation: A demographic bridge to America’s diverse future
https://www.brookings.edu/research/millennials/
HEALTHLINE: Why Millennial Depression Is on the Rise
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/millennial-depression-on-the-rise
NY POST: ‘They can’t even’: Why millennials are the ‘anxious generation’
https://nypost.com/2016/03/20/they-cant-even-why-millennials-are-the-anxious-generation/
PSYCHOLOGY TODAY: Misunderstood Millennials
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/collections/201404/misunderstood-millennials
MEDIUM: Millennials: A Generation Misunderstood
https://medium.com/the-post-grad-survival-guide/millennials-a-generation-misunderstood-2e5370b7c9b8
