Grouping things can often provide a snapshot of common interests. Sometimes, this can be positive in terms of identifying overlapping tastes in movies or music. It could also be negative as in a phrase like “O.K. Boomer”. This term implies a “get off my lawn” mentality that a younger generation might ascribe to an older (Baby Boomer) generation.
Since the start of the 20th century, eight generations have been named by sociologists. The starting and end points have some level of arbitrary classification. Even within a time range, there will be those members who were barely cognizant, others who were active participants, and others still who were leading proponents of at least one or more significant events. But the classifications illustrate that surviving members of the Great Generation would range in age from 98 to 125, while members from, say, Gen X would range from 45 to 60 as of 2025.
| Name | Year | Cultural Touchstones |
|---|---|---|
| The Greatest Generation | 1901 – 1927 | WWI, Compulsory school attendance, Prohibition |
| The Silent Generation | 1928 – 1945 | The Great Depression, WWII, Social Security |
| Baby Boom Generation | 1946 – 1964 | Brown versus Board of Education, Cuban Missile Crisis, NASA |
| Generation X | 1965 – 1980 | Voting Rights Act, Vietnam, Gold standard abandoned, oil crisis, Watergate |
| Millennials | 1981 – 1996 | Unions diminished, Wall Street dominates, Iran Contra, mass incarceration |
| Generation Z | 1997 – 2010 | The Internet, 911, mass surveillance |
| Generation Alpha | 2010 – 2024 | Cell phones, Covid |
| Generation Beta | 2025 – 2039 | T.B.D |
History surveys highlight seminal moments that shape or explain things we experience today. The implication sometimes is that a moment arrives via monolithic unity. The reality is that there are often forces and counter forces with diametric interests that settle upon a solution, sometime permanent but often temporary. At other times there are conflicting groups that coalesce around a specific problem. One thing to always keep in mind is that historians or authors make active decisions to include certain events while excluding others.
The fascinating element of the United States history is how opposite things often coexist. For example, the Constitution is revered for promoting ideas such as “all men are created equal”; but at the same time, it includes the “three-fifths” compromise related to slaves for census purposes. We continue a (slightly) deeper dive into each generation here.
Sandwich Generation: Typically, Middle-Aged
The Sandwich Generation does not belong to a single generation. It is not an age-identified cohort. Rather, it is a grouping of families in a similar situation of raising young children while having significant responsibility for senior parents. Complicating these dual responsibilities is the fact that education costs related to children and healthcare costs related to seniors have outpaced growth in income. Mid-career families need more tools and information to better marshal their resources to meet these inexorable challenges. This site aims to provide information and professionals in furtherance of that objective.