Baby Boomers - 1946 – 1964
Generation X - 1965 – 1979
Generation Y - 1980 – 1994
Generation Z - 1995 – 2009
Historically a generation has been defined as "the average interval of time between the birth of parents and the birth of their offspring".
Today a generation refers to a group of people born within a span of time in which the trends, technologies, and events have significantly shaped them. These occurrences experienced in one's formative years are called social markers and generational indicators.
Baby Boomers
A baby boomer is anyone born between 1946 and 1964 in a country that experienced an unusual spike in birth rates following World War II. Rarely in history is there an event that shapes a culture. The key event that formed the social marker of the generations in the western world was the end of the Second World War. Severity was overtaken by technological development and increasing freedom. Yet even more significantly in the years after the war there was a supreme baby boom and immigration programme, and this 19 year population boom literally birthed a generation.
Generation X
Originally labelled as the Baby Busters, Post Boomers, or the Slackers Generations only the label Generation X has stuck. Canadian author Douglas Coupland wrote a book which he entitled "Generation X: Tales for an accelerated culture" when this new generation was emerging. Ironically the book was about a generation that defy labels - "just call us X" he said, and well the label has stuck.
Generation Y
There have many attempts to give alternative labels such as the trendy "Millennials" and the "Dot.Com generation", but the global label that has stuck is Generation Y.
The term Generation Y suggests "following Generation X", and because the term Generation X was originally coined as a pejorative term, use of the term Generation Y is controversial.
Generation Z
As the birth rate at the end of Generation Y picked up in 1995 we have the beginnings of Generation Z. Generation Y are still an enormous generation consisting of more than 1 in 5 Australians.
Generation Z are demographically distinct from every previous generation. They are numerically the smallest of any other living generation. They are born in an era where the total number of births per woman fall below 2.
They are the most formally educated generation in history - starting education younger than ever, and projected to stay in education for longer than ever.As a generation they are the most financially endowed, technological literate and socially empowered generation in history.
Baby Boomers, Generation X, Y, Z - perhaps after gen Z there will be prospect for some more imaginative generation names.
~Simone~
~Featured in Carve Monthly, July 2007
Generation X - 1965 – 1979
Generation Y - 1980 – 1994
Generation Z - 1995 – 2009
Historically a generation has been defined as "the average interval of time between the birth of parents and the birth of their offspring".
Today a generation refers to a group of people born within a span of time in which the trends, technologies, and events have significantly shaped them. These occurrences experienced in one's formative years are called social markers and generational indicators.
Baby Boomers
A baby boomer is anyone born between 1946 and 1964 in a country that experienced an unusual spike in birth rates following World War II. Rarely in history is there an event that shapes a culture. The key event that formed the social marker of the generations in the western world was the end of the Second World War. Severity was overtaken by technological development and increasing freedom. Yet even more significantly in the years after the war there was a supreme baby boom and immigration programme, and this 19 year population boom literally birthed a generation.
Generation X
Originally labelled as the Baby Busters, Post Boomers, or the Slackers Generations only the label Generation X has stuck. Canadian author Douglas Coupland wrote a book which he entitled "Generation X: Tales for an accelerated culture" when this new generation was emerging. Ironically the book was about a generation that defy labels - "just call us X" he said, and well the label has stuck.
Generation Y
There have many attempts to give alternative labels such as the trendy "Millennials" and the "Dot.Com generation", but the global label that has stuck is Generation Y.
The term Generation Y suggests "following Generation X", and because the term Generation X was originally coined as a pejorative term, use of the term Generation Y is controversial.
Generation Z
As the birth rate at the end of Generation Y picked up in 1995 we have the beginnings of Generation Z. Generation Y are still an enormous generation consisting of more than 1 in 5 Australians.
Generation Z are demographically distinct from every previous generation. They are numerically the smallest of any other living generation. They are born in an era where the total number of births per woman fall below 2.
They are the most formally educated generation in history - starting education younger than ever, and projected to stay in education for longer than ever.As a generation they are the most financially endowed, technological literate and socially empowered generation in history.
Baby Boomers, Generation X, Y, Z - perhaps after gen Z there will be prospect for some more imaginative generation names.
~Simone~
~Featured in Carve Monthly, July 2007
No comments:
Post a Comment