Gen X Crunched by Career & Kids

Gen X Crunched by Career & Kids

Posted On September 4, 2012

First there was the sandwich generation – the Boomers caught between caring for their growing kids and their aging parents. Now there’s Gen X-hausted, according to an Economist writer – Gen Xers who are crunched between maximizing their career peaks and caring for young children – an exhausting combination. The median age for professional married couples, especially professional married men, to have their first children is creeping into the mid-30s (32 for married women, 34 for married men). That means many Gen Xers are caring for young, school-age children well into their 40s, the same age range when career and… Read More

Categories: Generations

Baby Boomers: The Grandparent Demographic

Posted On September 7, 2012

This week’s Grandparents’ Day is an appropriate time to notice that Baby Boomers now dominate the Grandparent demographic. According to statistics cited by Newsday, Boomers now make up a majority of grandparents. The average grandparent is a Leading Edge (Early) Boomer (64). The average new grandparent is a Late Boomer (47) The new identity of many Boomers as grandparents is important because of their involvement and commitment, financial and otherwise, in the lives of their grandchildren. Boomer grandparents spend over $35 billion annually on their grandkids. Overall, 52% of grandparents help fund their grandchildren’s educations and 45% help pay for… Read More

Categories: Baby Boomers

Generations Donate Differently

Posted On July 14, 2011

Studies of generational philanthropy show that different generations give to charity differently, both in amount and in how they choose a charity. Various studies show that donors from the Mature and Baby Boomer generations tend to give to charities that they are familiar with or have a personal connection to. Gen Xers and Millennials, on the other hand, tend to choose philanthropies that support causes that are important to them, even if those causes are far removed from any personal or community connection. So, while a Boomer might donate to a health organization because she knows those involved and affected… Read More

Categories: Baby Boomers, Charity, Generations, Matures

The Next Baby Bust?

Posted On July 19, 2011

In the 1930s and 40s, the Depression and World War II suppressed birth rates and created the Silent Generation (now part of the Matures) who were named “Silent” in part because there were so few of them. And the advent of the birth control pill in the 1960s had the same effect, leading to the “Baby Bust,” now known as Generation X. Now, the 2010 U.S. Census indicates that the current generation of children, born mostly to the smallish Generation X, represents the next “baby bust.” Census figures show that children now make up a smaller percentage of the nation’s… Read More

Categories: Baby Boomers, Generations, Matures

Millennials Downsizing their Dreams

Posted On August 18, 2011

Millennials, already prone to delay milestones like careers and marriage, are putting them off even further as pessimism about their economic outlook causes them to downsize their expectations. A recent Los Angeles Times analysis of recent surveys depicts a “Generation Vexed” who, in their words, now plan to “take smaller steps” and who are resigned to the fact that “you can’t reach for the stars right now.” For the first time in three decades, Gallup shows that fewer than half of Americans believe the next generation will have a better life. As a result, according to a Generation Opportunity poll, nearly three… Read More

Categories: Training Industry

Facebook Gets Grayer

Posted On September 7, 2011

According to the Pew Center’s latest look at social media, Baby Boomers and Matures are now the demographics driving explosive growth in social networking, while Millennials’ use of such sites has flattened. While social networking sites are still enormously popular among Millennials – 83% use them – growth in their popularity within the younger demographic has stalled, and even declined over the past year (from 86%). On the other hand, the growth in the use of social media among older generations has been as phenomenal as it was among Millennials just a few years ago. Over the past two years,… Read More

Categories: Baby Boomers, Generations, Matures

Generational Spending

Posted On April 3, 2012

Millennials have had less disposable income in their 20s and 30s than the Boomers and Xers before them did, according to an analysis by AdAge. According to figures derived from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, both Millennials and Xers have spent more on housing, health care, and education when between the ages of 25-34 than the Boomers did at the same age. In the case of Millennials, those higher costs combined with a recessionary economy have curtailed their ability to spend on everything else. In 2010 dollars, Millennials (during ages 25-34) have spent $21 billion more on rent than Boomers… Read More

Categories: Baby Boomers, Blog, Generation Y / Millennials, Generations, Recession Economy
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