“Millennial”, “Gen Z”, “Gen X” are likely all terms you’ve heard before. They are generation names that group people together according to the years in which they were born.
Each generation comes with its own set of characteristics, beliefs, and values, all of which are formed (in general) largely by their life experience and world events.
This being said, the topic of generations is broad and complex — and today, we’re diving a bit deeper into it.
What Age Group Defines Gen X?
Generation X, which is also known as Gen X, is made up of people who were born in between the mid 1960s and the 1980s. The exact age range that defines Gen X varies based on who you ask and which research you look at.
Some researchers believe the generation includes those born from 1961 to 1981, while others see Gen X as those born between 1965 and 1979.
Regardless, all professionals agree that Gen X comes after the Baby Boomers but before the Millennials. They also agree that it starts sometime during the middle of the 1960s.
What Age Group Defines Millennials?
The Millennials is a group that follows directly behind Gen X. Again, this group ranges in terms of exact dates. Most of the time, however, they are considered to be born within the period of the early 80s to the late 90s.
Some commonly believed dates for this generation include 1982 to 1999 and 1981 to 1996. In some cases, this generation is also thought to include the period of 1982 to 2004.
What Age Group Defines Gen Z?
By many researchers, Gen Z is considered to be the current and most recent generation. It is typically thought of as the generation that was born between 1995 and 2010. Sometimes it is thought to start in 1997 and extend to those born in 2012.
Characteristics: Gen X, Z, and Millennials
Gen X
Those who make up Gen X lived through a handful of major world events that, undoubtedly significantly shaped their points of views and values.
Gen Xers witnessed things like the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the rise in women working outside the home, the Chernobyl disaster, increasing divorce rates, and the rise of the PC and Internet.
This generation is independent, hard-working, and big on maintaining a good work-life balance.
Because of the increasing divorce rates that were cropping up during this generation, many Gen Xers grew up in single-parent and income households.
They were the first generation to grow up with PC computers, and they are typically more ethnically diverse and liberal than the previous Boomer generation.
In the 1990s, this generation was sometimes considered to be made up of “slackers” — a description that has since been contested.
Millennials
Millennials grew up in a time where the general recommendation was to “follow your dreams”, which has led to this generation being confident and optimistic about their future, despite the fact that they are the first generation that is expected to be less economically successful than their parents were.
Millennials value workplace satisfaction and are less likely to put up with a workplace that makes them unhappy than previous generations. They grew up with computers and smartphones, which has made them adept at understanding and processing visuals.
The age cutoff for millennials is usually considered to be 1997-1999, depending on who you ask and which research you look at. languages and interfaces. They adjust to online and Internet-based tasks quickly and tend to be very good at multitasking.
Gen Z
Gen Zers have been largely shaped by the events of 9/11/ (which many Gen Zers are too young to remember), the Great Recession of 2007-09, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gen Zers grew up in the era of the US Department of Homeland Security -a department that was created after 9/11-, and the iPhone.
The generation was also the first to see the legalization of same-sex marriage and the first African-American president of the United States.
Gen Z is arguably the most diverse of any generation so far, with roughly 50% of Gen Zers being a racial/ethnic minority.
In addition, this generation has a higher percentage of parents who are in recognized same-sex partnerships, mixed-raced families, and single-parent families.
They are more likely to reside in large cities, to identify as a gender other than “man” or “woman”, and less likely than other generations to get married and/or have children. Many were born into the era of smartphones and computers, and do not know a time without them.
What Is Gen Alpha?
Gen Alpha is the generation to come after Gen Z, the Gen Alpha age range cutting off somewhere between 2010 and 2012.
Gen Alpha is predicted to be the most highly-educated generation to emerge, as well as wealthiest, most technologically immersed, and the generation that is the most likely to grow up without neuter of their biological parents.
It’s thought that Gen Alpha will care more about all issues of the world and social system than the past generations.
FAQs
What is the age cutoff for millennials?
The general age cut off for millennials is 1997-1999.
Why are Millennials called ‘Millennials’?
Millennials got their name from the fact that they became adults roughly around the time of the millennium.
What will Gen Alpha be like?
Gen Alpha will be extremely educated, vocal about important issues, well-off financially, and connected to technology and its advancements.
What Comes After Gen Z?
After Gen Z comes Generation Alpha, or Gen Alpha.
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