Generation X is the group of people born in the United States and Canada from 1965 to 1980. Its members are called Generation Xers or Gen Xers.
Early critics pointed to Generation Xers as being “slackers,” or having such unfavorable traits as political apathy, disrespect for authority, and poor work habits. But as Gen Xers matured, they also became known as independent, practical, creative, and technologically knowledgeable.
Gen Xers came of age when the divorce rate, the national debt, and the number of dual-career families were increasing. These trends accompanied declines in job security, a growing awareness of environmental issues, and a rise in information overload with the introduction of the internet. More than previous generations, Gen Xers embraced less traditional gender roles in such areas as child rearing and the division of housework.
Some experts linked the political apathy associated with Gen Xers to a lack of defining events shaping their developing years. Events that influenced Generation X included the 1986 space shuttle Challenger disaster; the Persian Gulf War of 1991; the 1992 Los Angeles riots; and the threat of AIDS. These events contrasted with the more far-reaching and unifying events that influenced Generation X’s predecessors, the baby boom generation (see Baby boom generation). The baby boomers, born from 1946 to 1964, were shaped by such events as the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.; the Vietnam War; and the civil rights and women’s movements.
The term Generation X comes from Jane Deverson and Charles Hamblett’s 1964 book about rebellious British youth, titled Generation X. In a 1991 novel by the Canadian author Douglas Coupland, Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture, the young characters deal with the realization that their elders’ ideals are neither desirable nor attainable. The popularity of the novel led to the term’s being applied to an entire generation and entering everyday speech.
See also Generation Y.
