Gen X: The ‘Sandwich Generation’ – What Are They Doing Now?
By: Mark McCrindle
Chances are Generation X, born between 1965 and 1979, grew up eating a sandwich for lunch from their school lunch box.
Every. Single. Day. The sandwich might have been peanut butter, vegemite or a ham sandwich. It might have been a bit more glamourous with chicken, or deli meats and salad. Or some odd concoction of peanut butter, jam, and/or honey. Most likely it wasn’t that memorable, but it was filling. Sandwiches often are. Sandwiches are a great way to describe Generation X.
Why? Because Gen X are the filling in society’s multi-generational sandwich. They are squished between older generations like the Baby Boomers/Builders, and the Gen Ys, Gen Zs and Gen Alphas. They are most likely caring up and caring down. Caring for ageing parents, while also raising Gen Z as teens and young adults in a world that is vastly different to when they were emerging adolescents.
Who is Generation X & What Are They Like?
Here’s 10 fast facts about Generation X:
- Generation X are born 1965 to 1979, aged in their late 40s and 50s, today.
- Out of the eight billion people on the planet, Gen X currently make up 17% of the population, but 27% of the working population.
- They are the “XEO”; Gen X is most likely to be the CEO as 57 is the average age of all Fortune 500 CEOs. In Australia, 47 is the average age when a person becomes a CEO.
- By 2030, Europe will have the most Gen Xers (20%) ahead of Asia (17%) and North America (17%).
- Gen X grew up influenced by toys such as the iconic Rubix Cube (1974), enjoying cassette tapes on the Walkman (1979) and influenced by globalisation with the Stock Market crash of 1979 and the fall of the Berlin Wall (1989).
- In their life, they witnessed the rise and fall of technologies such as Atari video games, CDs, Myspace and Blackberry.
- Some of the most influential movies that shaped Gen X include Star Wars, Grease and ET.
- Gen X are in their peak earning years, today. In Australia the average annual household income is $157,716, for those aged 45-54, higher than those aged 35-44 at $147,524.
- Remuneration is the most important factor for Gen X when considering a new job (71%), above accessible leadership (70%) and a convenient location 69%.
- When it comes to wealth, Gen X sit slightly behind older Baby Boomers (defined as 65-74) who have $1.6 million in net wealth, and younger Baby Boomers (defined as 55-64) who have $1.5 million in net worth, while Gen X (defined as 45-54) have $1.1 million.
Why Does This Matter?
These insights give an understanding of Gen X’s priorities as well as the factors that shaped their upbringing. In their current life stage, many Gen X’s will be caring for their parents, perhaps Baby Boomers or Builders who were shaped in a post WWII era of rations, global trauma and rebuilding economies. Things were tough for these older citizens, and it shaped their life outlook, spending patterns and social expectations.
Gen X are also caring down, likely for their Gen Z kids who have been raised in the great screen age. The outside play-based childhood of Gen X has been replaced with inside, screen-based play. Interestingly, the house sizes are larger, yet the land component of homes is reduced. The ability for today’s Gen Z teens to roam beyond the physical home is limited compared to Gen X’s childhood and teen experience where they simply had to, “be home before the streetlights came on”. Yet, the threats and digital risks in the home for Gen Z are greater now than ever with online predators, identity theft and digital addictions to social platforms targeting tweens and teens.
The challenge for Gen X is that they are parenting teens who are emerging in a rapidly differently world to the one they grew up in. Plus, they are looking after their own parents in a complex system of care in this new digital world, while trying to preserve the good from the old world that their parents loved and knew.
Traversing Different Worlds
While the sandwich metaphor for Gen X shows how they are squished in the middle, perhaps there is an even better metaphor.
Could it be they are the Delorean from Back to the Future? They travel back and forward in time to solve problems over and over again.
Could it be the Sydney Harbour Bridge? Sturdy, silent and strong. The vital portal or conduit between two vastly different land masses through which people must travel to connect.
Could it be the Digital Cartographer? The online map maker for the new digital universe that society has arrived in to. Are they the ones to guide the emerging generations into a healthy use of digital platforms like Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning? Will they push back against social media giants to create safer childhoods for young tweens after their own children lived through the social media experiment of the 2010s?
Finding the best metaphor for Gen X is a fascinating discussion.
Keys for Supporting Gen X at Work and In Society
The key takeaways for supporting Gen X in the workforce and community are:
- Give them flexibility, such as WFA (work from anywhere) as they’ll need to provide care up and down.
- Recognise and celebrate their strengths as dependable and independent.
- Provide GQ (generational intelligence), and build moments and specific courses for vastly different needs as they connect and support people in different generations and life stages.
Generation X infographic
In this infographic we provide an explanation and summary of Generation X (born 1965-1979).
Article supplied with thanks to McCrindle.
About the Author: McCrindle are a team of researchers and communications specialists who discover insights, and tell the story of Australians – what we do, and who we are.
Feature image: Canva
