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Why is Gen X the Forgotten Generation? The overlooked generation, born 1965-1980, finds itself sandwiched between the massive Baby Boomer and Millennial generations. Their smaller numbers and transitional role in societal shifts contribute to their often-ignored status in generational discussions and media coverage. This article explores the reasons behind Gen X's invisibility and its impact
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Gen X: The Forgotten Generation? Understanding the "Meh" Generation's Silent Strength
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The Forgotten Generation: Why Gen X Remains the Invisible Force in Society. Gen X, born 1965-1980, suffers from a pervasive "whatever" attitude, leading to societal invisibility. Unlike the attention-grabbing narratives of Boomers, Millennials, and Gen Z, Gen X's quiet influence is often overlooked, despite their significant role as a bridge between generations. This article explores the reasons behind Gen X's understated presence and the impact of this "forgotten generation" on culture and society
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Gen X: The Forgotten Generation? Why the "Supporting Actors" of the 1965-1980 Cohort Remain Overlooked. Smaller population size compared to Boomers and Millennials contributed to Gen X's lower profile. Further, as the first generation with largely working parents and limited supervision (pre-helicopter parenting and widespread technology), Gen X developed exceptional independence, often unnoticed amidst larger generational narratives. This lack of supervision, coupled with a smaller population size, meant Gen X lacked the same cultural impact as other generations
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Gen X: The Forgotten Generation's Silent Strength. Overlooked between booming Baby Boomers and Millennial hype, Gen Xers (born 1965-1980) experience a unique "middle-child syndrome." Independent and resourceful, this generation often prefers to fly under the radar, mastering self-reliance in a world that frequently forgets them. Discover why Gen X's quiet strength deserves recognition
Gen X: The Independent, Resourceful Generation Often Overlooked
This generation, born between 1965 and 1980, possesses a quiet strength and self-reliance, often going unnoticed amidst the spotlight on other generations. Their independence and resourcefulness are hallmarks of their character
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Gen X: The Forgotten Generation? Why the "Slacker" Stereotype Misses the Mark. Born between 1965 and 1980, Gen Xers, unlike their Boomer predecessors, rejected the relentless work ethic, a sentiment reflected in iconic films like *The Breakfast Club* and *Office Space*. While embracing work-life balance, this generation faces unique challenges, often overshadowed by the larger Millennial and Gen Z narratives. Discover why Gen X's contributions are overlooked and the complexities of their experience in the workforce
“When millennials came to the workplace, they brought that hustle culture of you work hard and you go for it, anything’s possible for you,” Gerhardt says.
Many businesses created fast-track programs to get millennials into leadership, which often leapfrogged the Gen Xers in the room for some positions. It’s left Gen X in a mediator role within the hierarchy and in a weird limbo. Given their age, Gen Xers do occupy the C-suite — about half of Fortune 500 CEOs are Gen Xers — but millennials now make up the largest share of managers in the workforce overall. As the Wall Street Journal notes, people in their 50s are losing share of CEO spots in the Russell 3000. Many Gen Xers feel like they’re stuck with a boomer executive who won’t retire or a millennial young gun who shot to the front of the line. They’re the translators between the old and the young, trying to find common ground. It’s worth pointing out that we haven’t had a Gen X president yet, either — the cohort is more of a victim of America’s political gerontocracy problem than anyone.
Mantz says part of the reason she started her community for Gen X women was to try to get them to make a little more noise and get themselves into positions of power, despite their low-key inclinations.
“We’re having to shift gears. We are being forgotten. We’re being taken for granted,” she says. “We are such a strong and steady force at work, and if we don’t start changing the way we amplify our generation, we will continue to be overlooked.”
Gen Xers also aren’t particularly happy, and again, not just because they’re middle-aged. Frank Infurna, a psychology professor at Arizona State University, tells me that Gen Xers in the US are reporting higher levels of loneliness, more depressive symptoms, and poorer physical health than other generations. He says their cognition is worse, too. He chalks it up to a variety of factors. Gen X started working during the transition from pensions to 401(k)s, when the onus for retirement savings switched from employers to employees, and many workers were still figuring the system out. They’re the first generation raising kids in today’s hypercompetitive educational environment, with all the pressures to make sure your children succeed. They’ve also lived through a lot of economic upheaval, even if we don’t always talk about it.
“They’ve dealt with the dot-com bubble burst, the Great Recession, and it’s like, can you just have some stability when it comes to these big economic events?” Infurna says.
Jeremy Horpedahl, an economist at the University of Central Arkansas who studies wealth across generations, echoes the point. “One part of the Gen X wealth story is they really took a hit from the financial crisis in 2007, 2008, at a time when they were just starting to build wealth,” he says. “They have recovered since then, but it took a long time for them to catch back up to where baby boomers were at the same point in their life.”
The vibe from Gen Xers on their neglected status is mixed. On the one hand, a lot of them are fine doing their own thing. On the other hand, it’s not particularly fun to have your experiences constantly erased from the narrative.
It’s not the case that Gen X hasn’t left its mark on American culture. I think there’s an argument to be made that in many ways it’s more significant than boomers and millennials, but much of what Gen Xers have contributed doesn’t get pinned to their age as much as other generations. “Friends” is Gen X, but nowadays doesn’t really code as such. The same goes for “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “The X-Files” and “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” They don’t feel as generationally specific as, say, “Girls” or “M*A*S*H.” Angelina Jolie is Gen X, as are Jennifer Aniston, Ethan Hawke, Will Smith, and we’ll count Brad Pitt, too. We see them as the big movie stars, not the big movie stars of a certain era or age. Facebook’s cofounder Mark Zuckerberg: solidly millennial. Apple’s Steve Jobs: boomer. Google’s founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin: Gen X, which I bet you never even thought about.
To be sure, this isn’t true in every arena. Beck, Nirvana, and Pearl Jam epitomize Gen X music culture, like Taylor Swift and Beyoncé do millennials these days. Gen X also got a bit of a nostalgia hit over the past few years, which millennials are only getting a taste of now and Gen Z is about 10 years away from.
This may be the millennial in me talking — after all, Gen X teens were my “cool kids” growing up — but Gen Xers getting to fly under the radar does seem like a solid deal. Maybe they’re not managers at work, but middle managers are getting phased out anyway, and besides the pay, being in charge of everything doesn’t seem that awesome in terms of actually enjoying life. They don’t get blamed for ruining everything like millennials do because they eat avocado toast, or Gen Zers because they stare weirdly. Gen X has a sort of soft power that comes with people not paying attention to you all the time. And they got to experience life before the internet, which, what a joy! They know how to adapt to technology, but they’re also aware it can be tricky.
“Before we got the internet, we got Terminator,” Salmon says.
Perhaps Gen X is finally about to have its moment in the sun, politically, culturally, etc. The ’90s are making a comeback, after all. If not, whatever.
Emily Stewart is a senior correspondent at Business Insider, writing about business and the economy.
Business Insider’s Discourse stories provide perspectives on the day’s most pressing issues, informed by analysis, reporting, and expertise.
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