Sarah Nigbor

On the ride home from school today, my teenage daughter made a comment that started me thinking about the differences between generations.

“You’re such a Boomer,” she declared decisively. This annoyed me. I am not a “Boomer.” My mother would be considered a Boomer. I hover on the dividing line between Generation X and a Millennial. But what exactly do those terms mean?

According to Good Housekeeping, here are the different generation labels and their birth years:

• Greatest Generation: Born ~1901–1927
• Silent Generation: Born ~1928–1945
• Baby Boomers: Born ~1946–1964
• Generation X: Born ~1965–1980
• Millennials: Born ~1981–1996
• Generation Z: Born ~1997–2012
• Generation Alpha: Born ~2013–2025
• Generation Beta: Born ~ 2025-2039 

While the delineation of generations is not an exact science, these are the most commonly agreed upon divisions, according to research firms McCrindle and Pew. Here’s what they and Good Housekeeping have to say about each generation. Does it fit with your experiences with your peers?

The Greatest Generation

Journalist Tom Brokaw gave “The Greatest Generation” its name in his book of the same name, which celebrated those who “heeded the call to fight in World War II.” "They faced great odds and a late start, but they did not protest," he writes. "At a time in their lives when their days and nights should have been filled with innocent adventure, love, and the lessons of the workaday world, they were fighting, often hand to hand, in the most primitive conditions possible, across the bloodied landscape of France, Belgium, Italy, Austria." Brokaw also celebrates how this generation returned from war to begin "the task of rebuilding their lives and the world they wanted," but we know what else that began when they returned: the baby boom.

The Silent Generation

This generation grew up during the Great Depression, lived through World War II and fought in Korea. It received its name from a 1951 “Time” magazine article that compared this generation to its rowdier predecessors that were “more likely to issue manifestos, make speeches, carry posters, or make more of a general ruckus.

“The most startling fact about the younger generation is its silence," Time says. "With some rare exceptions, youth is nowhere near the rostrum. By comparison with the Flaming Youth of their fathers and mothers, today's younger generation is a still, small flame."

According to a 2022 survey published in “JAMA Psychiatry,” the Silent Generation is the happiest one, survey respondents said.

Baby Boomers

"During the post-World War II baby boom, the United States experienced 18 years of elevated fertility rates," Sandra L. Colby and Jennifer M. Ortman write for the United States Census Bureau. "Although the fertility rates observed during the baby boom were not the highest ever seen in the United States, the number of births during those years was unprecedented."

Baby Boomers, the largest generation until Millennials took over, is also the richest. They have a huge influence over institutions, schools, government and the economy. They are characterized as having a strong work ethic, optimism, and a focus on individualism and achievement. They value family, loyalty, community involvement, and were involved in major social movements such as the Civil Rights Movement and anti-war protests in the 60s and 70s. They also prefer face-to-face communication rather than digital and often come across as demanding and wanting their way, according to many sources.

Generation X

Generation X received its name from writer Douglas Coupland’s novel “Generation X,” describing people who don’t care about “the trappings of the upper crust.” They are sometimes considered the reticent or dark-horse generation, fearful of being forgotten sandwiched between the Boomers and Millennials.

Generation Xers are often characterized by being independent, resourceful, and pragmatic, often seeking a strong work-life balance. Many of them (I am one of them) grew up as “latchkey kids,” whose parents were at work when they got home from school, leaving them to figure things out on their own. They are the first generation to grow up with technology and are comfortable adapting to change. They are also considered more cynical and skeptical of traditional institutions, are loyal and open-minded.

Millennials

"Most Millennials were between the ages of 5 and 20 when the 9/11 terrorist attacks shook the nation, and many were old enough to comprehend the historical significance of that moment, while most members of Gen Z have little or no memory of the event," Pew Research writes. "Millennials also grew up in the shadow of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which sharpened broader views of the parties and contributed to the intense political polarization that shapes the current political environment. And most Millennials were between 12 and 27 during the 2008 election, where the force of the youth vote became part of the political conversation and helped elect the first black president."

Millennials are also known for being slower to get married and have children than previous generations. Only three in 10 Millennials lived with a spouse and child in 2019, "compared with 40% of Gen Xers, 46% of Boomers and 70% of Silents when they were the age Millennials are now," Pew reports.

Millennials like flexibility, collaborating with others, frequent feedback, and experiences over possessions, according to Good Housekeeping. They also see work as part of life, not life itself.

Generation Z

Gen Z, is the “first generation to grow up with the internet as a part of daily life," says a report by consulting company McKinsey. "As the first real digital natives, Gen Zers — speaking generally — are extremely online. Gen Zers are known for working, shopping, dating and making friends online."

But there's a flip side to all this connectivity. Gen Z is coming of age in a time of pandemic, climate crisis and global war with constant streams of information at their fingertips. McKinsey says that Gen Z has "the least positive outlook and the highest prevalence of mental illness."

Generation Alpha

A popular paper by Mark McCrindle and Ashley Fell describes Gen Alpha as “screenagers.” "They shape the social media landscape, are the popular culture influencers, the emerging consumers and by the end of the 2020s will be moving into adulthood, the workforce and household formation, ready or not," they write.

Generation Beta

"For Generation Beta, the digital and physical worlds will be seamless," McCrindle writes. "While Generation Alpha has experienced the rise of smart technology and artificial intelligence, Generation Beta will live in an era where AI and automation are fully embedded in everyday life — from education and workplaces to healthcare and entertainment." Some of them might even live to see the 22nd Century.

McCrindle also believes Gen Beta will be band together to handle future challenges left by previous generations.

"With climate change, global population shifts and rapid urbanization at the forefront, sustainability will not just be a preference but an expectation," the report notes. "This will result in Generation Beta being more globally minded, community-focused, and collaborative than ever before."