Generations: From Silent, through Boomer and X, to Millenial

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"Boomer", "generation x", "buster", "millenial", "silent", "lost"??? What are all these titles, and to whom do they refer? Sociologists and the media have used these and other titles to refer to different generations of people alive at the moment. People have been broken down, roughly, into general generations, characterised by similar qualities and attitudes. These normally span a 20 year period. Although it is impossible to generalise accurately and describe each individual in a group of people, it is uncanny how different generational attitudes can be discerned, and characterisations can be made.

The importance of such classifications is that we can target our message (whatever that may be) at a specific target group, identifiable by distinct and similar attitudes.

This page tries to define how the different generations feel, react and what they believe and perceive regarding a wide variety of issues.

If you don't know which generation you fit into, why not take this (light-hearted) test and find out? (PS - the test is designed to be fun, but it does get to the heart of the differences between the generations).

Other pages of similar type information:

•  Generational Analysis
•  The Fourth Turning

If you feel I have missed the mark on one or more of these sections, I would love to hear from you. I am an X'er, and have not lived through the previous generations - my findings are based on extensive research, but I know there is room for improvement. Please contact me at: youth.sa@pix.co.za

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Classification of Generations by Life Stage

These age groupings are not fixed for any generation, and can be extended (e..g due to unusual economic reliance on parents) or shortened (e.g. due to soldiering). However, they have been roughly estimated on the following bases: Youth - 21 is the age of legal majority in most countries. If an undergraduate degree is studied directly after High School, this is the age the degree will be completed. It is generally celebrated as a rite of passage in Western culture.
The young people in this lifestage are attempting to find and demonstrate their independence from their parents (who will be Rising Adulthood and Midlife). It is thus natural for them to rebel against the norms of these generations.
Rising Adulthood - 43 is the age of the youngest American President. It is rather an arbitrary cutoff, being midway between 21 and 65, which are more definite. I would probably have put this at 40, being a significant birthday (the decade), and a time when many people evaluate their lives. It is also around this time that prospects for moving from middle management to executive, or executive to Board level become a reality and the focus of attention.
Midlife - 65 is the age of retirement. In many jobs this is legalised as the upper end of the working force, and retirement is often forced at this age.
These people have the task of passing on their life skills to the next generation, as found in their children - the Youth.
Elderhood - 80 indicates life expectancy. In other countries, this will be different, depending on the state of health of the nation, and expected length of life. In America, life expectancy was as follows over the decades: at founding of America, 35; in 1900, 47; in 1950, 68; in 1991, 76.  

KEY	Lifestage	Activity	Age	Colour
	Youth	Dependence	0-21
	Rising Adulthood	Activity	22-42
	Midlife	?	43-64
	Elderhood	?	65-86
	Seniors	?	87+

Classification of Generational Life Stages by Date of Birth

The different generations are classified according to key historical events during this century. The different groupings are not arbitrarily set (although they do seem to fit fairly neatly into 20 year spans). It must, of course, be recognised that in "real life" the distinction between generations is not as neat as it is in the presentation of it here. In reality, there is more of a continuum between the generations, with changes in attitude slowly shifting as the world slowly changes. Thus, no one who fits within a generation as defined below will exhibit ALL the characteristics of that generation. It is, nevertheless, useful to make these categorisations and generalisations about the generations.

Howe and Strauss, in their books on the generations of America, (e.g. The Fourth Turning) explain that each generation experiences a CRISIS and an AWAKENING. These usually occur at 40 year intervals, so that if the crisis is experienced in youth, the awakening will be experienced in midlife. The crises of the 20th century are: The two World Wars and the Great Depression (which is the one they use as the early crisis of this century). The awakening was the intellectual and economic boost of the early sixties.

The GI generation was born between 1900 and 1924. 1900 is an obvious cut-off for this generation, as it is the start of the new century. As we move towards the end of this century, we can begin to get a feeling of the sense of something new and different that predominated at the end of the last century. However, our feelings about the 21st century are not as up-beat as the feelings at the end of the 19th century were. The 20th began with high expectations for prosperity and idyllic living, which was shattered by the CRISIS event which occurred in their YOUTH, namely World War I.
1924 is the cut-off date for this generation. This was at the height of the "roaring twenties" economic boom in America. "Following a postwar depression in 1920-21, the economy bounced back with a vengeance, growing a torrid 30% in the next two years. And money succeeded in holding its purchasing power as inflation averaged a less than 1% in the decade. The boom filled federal coffers. The 1920s was the last decade in this century when the federal budget ran a surplus every year. The national debt shrank from $24 billion to $16 billion. Taxes were reduced" (from TIME, JULY 28, 1997 VOL. 150 NO. 4.
Also in 1924: Russia: Lenin died; UK: BBC Radio began public broadcasts; South Africa: Hertzog's Nationalist Party was elected to government.

The Silent generation begins on 1925 and runs through to 1942. This generation experienced the worldwide crisis of the Great Depression, which began on "Black Tuesday" (strating on Friday 24 October), the crash happened on 29 October 1929 in NY, and (among other reasons) precipitated a world-wide Depression that continued well into the 1930's, and was followed by the crippling World War in 1939.

The Boomer generation begins in 1943 and runs through to 1960. I am not entirely sure why the literature on this issue puts the date in the middle of the Second World War, rather than at the end. The key events in 1942/3 were: The bombing of Sydney, Australia by the Japanese, and the increased involvement of America in the War (in Europe), the first nuclear power station unveiled and the retaking of North Africa by Allied Troops. Whether it was 1942 or 1945 really doesn't make too much difference, however. It must be noted that Boomers will not remember the war.
After the War, "ex-soldiers got married, and their offspring, the baby-boom generation, swelled the population 18.4%, to 178 million. Everybody went shopping: consumer spending--adjusted for inflation--surged 38% in the decade. As families grew, demand for hospitals, schools and homes took off. All this activity lifted the average annual growth in real gross national product by 4.8% from 1947 to 1953, slowing to 2.5% for the rest of the decade. Globally, the U.S. economy ruled" (from TIME, JULY 28, 1997 VOL. 150 NO. 4.

During the Boomers' developing years of Youth and Rising Adulthood, they lived through an economic boom and tremendous growth. But the euphoria this produced was undermined by a series of events, including: the Cold War, Civil rights abuses and activists (until the final signing of the Civil Righs Act in 1964 - and then began the long struggle to integrae, that continues even today in the US, and elsewhere), the Great Train Robbery (1963), JFK assassinated (1963), the Profumo Scandal (1964), Mandela sentenced for treason (1964), Vietnam (1965-1973), Moon landing (1969), Watergate scandal (1973), Apollo 13 disaster (1970), Mars landing (1976), the increase in international terrorism, shootings of major world leaders - e.g. Pope (1981), Reagan (1981), the Irn hostage situation (1981), Biko killed in jail (1977), Soweto riots (1976), Margaret Thatcher elected PM (1979), Falklands war (1982), etc.
This is mainly a long list of tragic occurrences, involving technogolical feats of wonder, followed by breakdowns of mammoth scale; it involves great politicians being killed or disgraced, and civil rights problems and human rights abuses and wars. This produced a sense of failure and despair on the system. Many of these events were also defining during the 13th generation's Youth.

The Thirteenth generation begins in 1961 and runs through to 1983. The literature is divided as to when the 13th Generation begins - anywhere from 1960 to 1968. I have chosen the earlier date since most authors who argue for the later one, also argue that 1960 -1968 should be treated separately (the so-called Tweeners). A number of important events happened in 1960/1: The first women PM in the world (Ceylon), a massive anti-Soviet campaign at the UN, the election of JFK (the first president to born in this century), the Apartheid riots in Sharpeville (South Africa), the closing of the border between East and West Berlin and the rise of Castro in Cuba, the Bay of Pigs debacle, and riots in the newly formed Republic of South Africa. Russia and America both put men into space in 1961 and 62.
Additionally, "the strain [on America] of being both an economic and a military superpower started to show. The federal deficit in 1959 jumped to 2.6% of gross domestic product, the largest since 1946. By the 1960s, ambitious social programs and the widening war in Vietnam led to higher taxes, while economies in Europe and Asia began to make inroads against the U.S" (from TIME, JULY 28, 1997 VOL. 150 NO. 4.
On 16 and 19 October 1987, share prices in NY and London went crashing. 19 October is called "Black Monday". This sparked off a world-wide recession that was short and sharp. In the early 1990's the economies bagan to recover, until in 1995, all-time record highs were set.

The Millenial generation begins in 1984 and runs through to 2000. The date of 1984 is set such that these young people will graduate from High School in the next century.

Name of generation	1900-1924	1925-1942	1943-1960	1961-1983	1984-2000	2001-2020
Missionary (Idealist)
Lost (Reactive)
GI (Civic)
Silent (Adaptive)
Boom (Idealist)
13th/Xers (Reactive)
Millenial (Civic)
? (Adaptive)

Defining Characteristics of Generations

I am acutely aware that as an X'er, I have not experience the Boom or Silent generations myself, and also have a jaundiced view of them, anyway. Thus, although I have tried to be objective and fair, I probably have fallen short. If you think that parts of my analysis are faulty, please write to me about that, and help me to correct the best and most fair representation of each generation. My e-mail address is youth.sa@pix.co.za, or fill out our on-line response form. .. Please note that these must necessarily be generalisations, and no one person will completely fit the exact generational picture represented below. Please also note that since the defining part of a person's life is between ages 15 and 30, the various historical events described below are placed under the generation that was 15-30 years old when it happened. In the case of Gen-X and Millenial, this is often not as clear, but rather I have looked at what is affecting younger teenagers (Millenial) and older teens and Young Adults (Gen-X). There may be times when an event should overlap and influence more than one generational group.

Characteristic	Generation
Politics	Silent 1920-1942	Boomer 1943-1962	Gen-X 1963-1982	Millenial 1983-2000?
War	World War II, Korea	Vietnam	Vietnam In Britain: Falklands In South Africa: Angola, internal freedom struggle	Yugoslavia-Czechoslovakia-Bosnia Many internal, civil wars around the world (especially in Africa)
International Political Situation	World War II - politics on a global scale, with single, inetrnational focus	Cold War - East vs. West Bay of Pigs (US failed invasion of Cuba) International terrorism at a height, and rise of "terrorist states" (e.g. Libya) Nuclear threat	Berlin war comes down, communism dies.  Economic pressure used by international community to enforce their will (e.g. South Africa, Cuba)	Rise of China and the East - Hong Kong handback. The rapidly falling power of the UN (UN peacekeeping forces have disappointing results).
Politicians and Political Activists active at height of the generation (i.e. during Rising Adulthood)	Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin, Hitler, Jan Smuts (RSA)  These were charismatic, inspiring, idealist figureheads - "men for the times". People wanted inspiration and motivation.	John F Kennedy, Mao Tse Tung, Brezhnev, Nixon, Malan (RSA)  Martin Luther King, Mandela, Biko, Malcolm X (all were civil rights activists).  Inspiring leaders, taking their nations to a glorious future. However, the attitude to the activists as well as some major blunders (Bay of Pigs, Watergate) removed the awe and trust of people. Many of these leaders were assassinated by discontent and disillusioned people.	Thatcher, Reagan, Bush, Gorbachev, Mitterand, de Klerk (RSA)  Walensa (Poland) (a unionist and political activist  Most of these leaders brought about sweeping reforms. They are not held in high regard, since previous generations have their politic heritage removed, and people don't like change.	Major, Clinton, Blair, Mandela  These leaders are "mostly harmless". Not seen to carry much power, and largely ignored. Not inspirational (Mandela may be the exception, although he inspires by what he has been through, rather than what he is doing politically). These politicians are elected BECAUSE they are perceived to be less threatening.
Types of government	Inspiring and bold, yet controlling and authoritarian - needed during the crisis, so that order can be restored.	Inspirational, dynamic, revolutionary (in the sense of bringing change)	Libertarian, accountable, "transparent", consultative	Practical and pragmatic
Leadership styles that are best responded to	Process driven, pluralistic.	Righteous, austere.Exude confidence. Visionary.	Consultative. Pragmatic and cautious.	Grand, expansive.
Discrimination	Suffrage	Organised movement against discriminations, e.g. Feminism, racial discrimination-Martin Luther King, Mandela, Biko	Women seen more as equals - Thatcher;  Gay rights become an issue; continued racial problems and immigrant problem;  Rise of political correctness (PC)	A possible backlash against women, other races (e.g. immigration laws tightened), OR equality will be enforced
Technology	Silent	Boomer	Gen-X	Millenial
Computers	None	Mainframes Computers were centralised in operation - terminals attached to a central hub	1976 - Personal Computers (PC) Computers became decentralised, stand alone	Multimedia, Networking and Internet Decentralised computers now joined together in International network - same power as centralisation, but retaining flexibility of decentralisation
Defining Philosophical Movements and philosophers Philosophy is often ahead of its time, and is thus probably not a good guide for a generation's thinking.	Existentialism and Humanism Sarte	Logical Positivism, decomstrcutionism Karl Popper	Theoretical Atsrophysics (not really a philosophy, but it is greatly affecting philology and theonomy)	??
Knowledge Base	Tremendous shifts in knowledge, especially from Newtonian physics - atomic theory, relativity, Heisenberg, medical advances	Space race - focus on the universe; science becomes more specialised, with less general theorists	Scientific fields are incredibly specialised and only for a few experts - research done in teams, not as individuals - too much for one person to try and grasp and assimilate	There will be more emphasis on minutiae - less opportunity to be original
School Learning Types of subjects Reflection of older generation, who  are the educators	More emphasis on concrete (in the physical sciences) and on fine arts	Conceptual knowledge. Challenge everything and try to change things to be the way they "should" be.	Secondary education seen as preparation for tertiary, rather than an end in itself (i.e. not practically based).	Shift towards more technical and practical education. Life skills, socialisation, "outcome based education", community training, civic mindedness. Emphasize science and engineering.
Global Village	Telephone	Satellite, TV	Fax, Cell phones, Computer Networks	Internet
Entertainment	Silent	Boomer	Gen-X	Millenial
Music	Swing, Big band	Rock 'n' Roll	Disco, Pop, Heavy Metal, MTV, Unplugged	House, Rave, Grunge, MTV, Rap
Movies -cult movies and genres (are there defining movie genres?)	Casablanca  epics	War movies, westerns, spy movies (James Bond)	Sci-fi, Spielberg and Tarrantino	Horror, remakes
Fashion and fads	Formal - young people dress like adults, no real distinction between work and play clothes My Gen-x perception is that there was very little difference between different groups of people with respect to dress. The different clothes represented merely social status and money, rather than differences in atitude or association.	More sexual dressing. Bell bottoms, stovepipes, leather, miniskirts, platforms, hippies, etc. The different groups were very distinctive, and identified clearly by the way they dressed. Clothes indicated an attitude on other issues.	Asexual. Very individual. Many different small groups identified by cltohing, but clothes are no longer a distinctive identifier. Fashion is not used to make a statement.	Androgenous, bulky. Seems to be a return to a common "look", rather than the individuality of the X'ers.
Type of entertainment	Clubs	Drugs, coffee shops	On-the-edge (e.g. bungi), bars	Friendship, relaxed and informal settings (out of which has grown the Rave scene).
Sport	Amateur	Professionalism	Major money in advertising and appearance fees Sports people become amongst top earners	More sports will be making more money - and younger competitors will be involved
Media	Silent	Boomer	Gen-X	Millenial
Radio	1916 - first radio station; 1922 - first commercial on radio was flighted; 1924 - first BBC broadcast 1948 - transistors invented - cheaper, lighter radios	?	?	Radio losing out to other media
Television	Experimental. 1927 - first TV broadcast in UK; 1928 - first sale to public (USA)	TV grows in status 1960 - 1st live sports game (football); first presidential debate in USA; 1957 - Sputnik was first satellite, used for radio and TV transmissions.	Satellite and cable TV - TV in every home TV as primary new source for world news (e.g. CNN, Sky, etc.)	MTV - TV for young people, by young people - truly international
"Cult" (popular) TV shows	?	Star Trek (first series), games shows, ?	Star Trek: Next Generation, Beverly Hills 91210, Roseanne, Talk shows	X-files, Simpsons, Beavis & Butthead, MTV, CNN
Mass media	Newsreels (news and entertainment combined)	TV media	Media Blitz - CNN, Tabloids, advertising, etc. e.g. 1982 - first outside, full colour video screen at Dodgers stadium	Internet
Family	Silent	Boomer	Gen-X	Millenial
Family Life (what the parents do)	Many family businesses - families stay together for longer	Busy father - absent and always working	Both parents working; single parent (working) families; disrupted.	??
Typical TV families	n/a	Brady bunch	Roseanne	?
Youth-Parent Attachment	Obedient to both	Strongest to mother	Independent of both	Strongest to father
View of Marriage	High	An option	Low and negative view	??
Age of marriage (stats to come)	Young	Older	Oldest	Getting younger again
Attitude to elders	? - do what are told without question	Rebellion	Not interested	Obedient, and wanting to interact
View of retirement	"The Golden Years"	"A chance to write that novel..."	"The agonising slide into abject poverty"	"A daily struggle to survive in a polluted world (unless we fix it first"
Everyday Life/Other	Silent	Boomer	Gen-X	Millenial
Economics	Great Depression	Cold War = Capitalism vs. socialism Inflation becomes a real problem for the first time in modern history	Death of socialism, capitalism seen as best method of economics - yet has serious loopholes, which are exploited by some. Late 1980's depression	Capitalism rules in America, but the porr part of the world gets poorer.
Job Opportunities	Limited, and falling in Great Depression.	Many new jobs available - especially (only?) for men	No jobs available. If do get job, will be less likely to get a promotion. This is the first generation in America's history who will earn less than their parents.	Limited.
Number of people working in a position for which the studied formally	Most of the employed workforce did not have tertiary education. Many artisans who stayed in same profession.	?	Few.	?
Size of company prefer working for	Small, but large if belong to a Union.	Large corporates	Small - especially in service industry.	?
View of future	Uncertain, resulting in a passive, waiting	Optimistic, resulting in activity	Pessimistic, resulting in a passive, "wait and see" attitude	Realistic and pragmatic - resulting in activity
"Lost Idol"	James Dean	Jim Morrison	Kurt Cobain	?
"The Man"	Cary Grant	Paul McCartney	Brad Pitt	Bart Simpson
"The Woman"	Marilyn Monroe	Raquel Welch	Julia Roberts	Sheryl Crow and Sandra Bullock
Famous People born IN this generation	Martin Luther King, Carl Sagan, Woody Allen	Donald Trump, OJ Simpson, Bill Gates, Bill Clinton	Kurt Cobain, Tom Cruise, Quentin Tarantino	?
Gender Roles (male/female relationships)	Most polarized	Begin breakdown of polarisation and fight for equality	Androgenous behaviour	Polarisation begins again
Morality	High morals	Testing the limits (e.g. drug abuse, free sex). Reform in midlife (even legislating against excesses of their own youth).	Reaction against hypocrisy of Boomers - be true to self - individual morality. Try to work out strategies and tactics to get around traditional morality.	?
Sex	Sex outside of marriage is considered sinful and even dirty.	The Pill - free sex; Profumo sex scandal (UK); sex is for fun. Rise of sexuality in public and acceptance thereof (e.g. Lady Chatterley's Lover sells 200,000 copies on first day in 1960	AIDS - sex as a threat	?? Seems to be sex for fun, or even in order to achieve the thrill of cheating death (AIDS)
Eating habits	Great Depression and war: Rations, survival important	Abundance, variety, processed food, manufacturing bulk, microwave invented in UK in 1948	Fast foods, microwave meals	"Meals for one" packages, snack foods, vitamin supplements
Grocery Shopping habits	Corner green grocer	Local shops	Supermarket, hypermarket	Fast food outlet
Attitude to Religion	A part of life. Something that everyone does. Part of organised religion.	Practical approach eclipses God. No room for metaphysical. "Death of God" philosophy (mid 1960's).  If religious, then universalist and optimistic. Wary of organised religion.	Pessimistic, "even God can't help us now". Do not deny religion, but don't see it's value. Agnosticism at a height. Anti the religious establishment.	Heightened spirituality. Alternative spritiual experiences are sought. Confidence in metaphysical and spirit world. Tolerant of organised religion.
General	Silent	Boomer	Gen-X	Millenial
Characteristic Attitude	genteel, thoughtful, social stewardship	prophetic, challenging	roguish, individualistic	heroic, builders, work together in groups
Motto	love	truth	persuasion	power
Positive attributes	experts, caring, open minded	principled, resolute, creative, idealistic	savvy, diverse, perceptive, practical, pragmatic	rational, selfless, competent
Negative attributes	indecisive, guilt-ridden, neurotic	ruthless, selfish, arrogant, two-faced	pessimistic, pecuniary, amoral, uncultured	overbold, unreflective, insensitive

How The Generations Grow Up

Life Stage	Generation
	Silent 1920-1942	Boomer 1943-1962	Gen-X 1963-1982	Millenial 1983-2000?
Youth - Nurture Received	Overprotective	Relaxing	Underprotective	Tightening
Youth - How perceived by self	Unfulfilling, placid	Sanctifying, stormy	Alienating, bad	Empowering, good
Youth - focus at the time	Torn between inner and outer world	Focus on inner world (self)	Whatever works best	Focus on outer world (others)
Rising Adulthood - focus	Self improvement	Reflecting	Competing	Building
Rising Adulthood/Midlife - Nurture given to kids	Underprotective	Tightening	Overprotective	Relaxing
Midlife - attitude changes (from Youth to Midlife)	From conformist to experimental	From detached to judgemental	From risk seeking to exhausted	From energetic to hubristic
Elderhood - focus	Family	Civilisation	Survival	Community
Elderhood - anticipated as a time of:	Sensitivity and flexibility	Leadership, vision and wisdom	Loneliness, regret and bitterness	Business and confidence

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(c) Copyright 1997, Graeme Codrington