Welcome to the 60’s!!!

I’ve spent the better part of the past 15+ years advocating for older adults through the lens of the Baby Boomer generation.

Partly because I am a Baby Boomer. And partly because when I started down this path, the leading edge of Baby Boomers was just turning 65 (this year, they’re turning 80!).

But yesterday, on a webinar sponsored by the Encore Network, I heard a statistic that made me gulp HARD:

This year, the leading edge of Generation X (individuals born between about 1965 and 1980—a span of time demographers don’t seem to exactly agree upon) is turning 60.

As an age cohort, Gen Xers have gotten the reputation for generally believing they are a “lost” or “forgotten” generation. Society just doesn’t focus on Gen Xers the way it does Baby Boomers or the “Greatest Generation” or even “Millennials” (individuals born between 1986 and 1981, a/k/a “Gen Z”).

And so, today, I am going to give them their props, because, in fact, there are many things people don’t know about them—and should.

According to many demographers, Gen Xers are considered to be America’s first “latch-key children,” because they were left to their own devices after school until their parents came home from work. This instilled in them a sense of independence, pragmatism, and resourcefulness.

Their formative years were influenced by Sesame Street and Mister Rogers, the AIDS epidemic and the Iran-Contra scandal, the Challenger disaster and the fall of the Berlin Wall. As Lifeway Women columnist Carol Pipes put it, “Our generation has seen it all—from the demise of disco to the rise of MTV and the dawn of the internet age.”

They are fervent advocates for Work-Life Balance. Which doesn’t mean they don’t want to work hard—they do. But they are perhaps the first generation that articulated the desire most workers across the gamut of generations have had—but failed to act upon. Time for family. Time for friends. Time to decompress. TIME.

They are also value- and values-driven. Value-driven when it comes to the products they buy and the brands they’re loyal to—and values-driven when it comes to the businesses they align themselves with.

Businesses that understand them. That prioritize diversity—both in the workplace and out. That enable—and ENCOURAGE—them to build new skills, seek creative solutions, and champion innovation.

Although much of society today enjoys pitting one generation against another, Gen Xers appreciate the community that is generated by shared experiences. They are grateful for the trails blazed by the generations that came before them—and are inspired by impact already being made by the generations that have followed.

That said, like every other segment of society, this Generation X is NOT monolithic. It does not think with one mind—or speak with one voice—despite all the generalizations used to describe them (including those above).

So as the enter this momentous year in their lives, I say wholeheartedly to those on the leading edge, WELCOME TO THE SIXTIES!!!

You’re gonna LOVE IT!