Boomers, Gen Z, Gen X: Do generation labels make any sense

The Star

6 days ago

First there were the baby boomers, then Generation (or Gen) X, followed by Y, Z and Alpha.
This year, a new cohort has emerged: Gen Beta.
This generation, expected to span from 2025 to 2040, is already being discussed by demographers and sociologists, with the term gaining traction in English-language media.
But how meaningful are these generational labels and what do they really tell us about the people they define?
'They are more of a popular science category,' says generational researcher Rudiger Maas, author of the book Konflikt der Generationen (Generational Conflict).
Sociologist and youth researcher Klaus Hurrelmann says: 'The classifications have become very common in marketing and advertising, but also in science.'
Boomers and millennials
A new generation emerges on the scene roughly every 15 years: the numerous and self-confident baby boomers – those born after World War II up until 1964, were followed by Gen X, for people born from 1965 to 1979.
Gen Y, also known as the millennials, from 1980 to 1994, or sometimes seen as those born until the end of the 1990s, depending on the classification.
They were the first generation not to experience the East-West conflict during their formative teenage years, but they did experience the terrorist attacks of Sept 11, 2001 and the financial crisis.
Those born between 1995 and 2010 belong to Gen Z, a group often stereotyped as having a poor work ethic. However, it has been reported that Gen Z's approach to work is shaped by their values, priorities and desire for work-life balance.
Perceptions of 'laziness' may, in fact, be rooted in generational misunderstandings rather than reality.
Participants chant slogans during a climate strike demonstration organised by the international movement Fridays for Future. Photo: EBRAHIM NOROOZI/AP
Adhering to generational classifications arbitrary
Of course, the classifications are somewhat arbitrary – children born at the beginning of this year are no different than those born at the end of 2024.
'It's more like the zodiac signs,' says Maas. In other words – some people put stock into this – and others not.
In addition, phenomena are sometimes associated with a particular age group, even though they are not characteristic of it as a whole.
Maas cites the equation of Gen Z with Fridays for Future and sustainability. A study by his Institute for Generation Research showed that only about 15% of young people identified with their so-called generation.
Wars and technical innovations shape personalityHowever, it is undisputed that there are generational differences.
This can be seen in everyday things: older people ring doorbells instead of sending a WhatsApp message telling a person they are visiting that they are 'downstairs.'
And they like to make phone calls often – instead of sending voice messages.
'The core idea of age cohorts is plausible,' says Hurrelmann in an interview with dpa. 'Wars, upheavals, technical innovations leave traces in people's personalities, and this is especially true in adolescence, when people are shaped for their entire lives. Of course, everyone is unique, but there are also many similarities.'
Those who went through puberty around 2020 were very strongly influenced by the coronavirus pandemic, for example.
Are today's teenagers a 'coronavirus generation?
'Studies show that this has led to considerable uncertainty. You could almost speak of a 'coronavirus generation.'' says Hurrelmann.
However, it is important to note that not everyone has had the same experiences.
'It makes a huge difference whether you experienced the coronavirus pandemic in a stable family home, where your parents earned well and were able to switch to working from home, or whether you had parents who had economic problems and were really thrown off course as a result.'
'And these differences are easily obscured by the cliched division into generations,' he adds.
Hurrelmann says generational labels such as baby boomers and Gen X, Y and Z have become very common, not only in marketing and advertising, but also in science. — BRITTA PEDERSEN/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa
What's expected for Gen Beta
'You can always speak of a new generation when there is a noticeable change in circumstances,' said Maas, the generational researcher and book author.
The famous Gen Z – born between about 1995 and 2010 – is, for example, the first generation to have grown up with social media and cyberspace as a matter of course.
The consequences of this development can hardly be overestimated.
'Members of Gen Z touch their smartphones about 4,000 to 5,000 times a day and unlock them several hundred times,' says Maas. 'It's fair to say that never before in human history has an object been touched and used so often.'
Maas expects that those who have been labelled as Generation Beta will be even more digitalised and, above all, influenced by artificial intelligence (AI).
'The majority of them will work in jobs that don't even exist yet. They will encounter a labour market for which they provide all the experience, and no one to train them, because they are the first.'
It's also a world in which it will become increasingly difficult to know which data can be trusted. What is really true, what is AI-generated, and what is not?
Maas is convinced that 'AI will not make the reality of life easier and more convenient for today's babies, but much more complex and challenging.'
Hurrelmann believes that it is not yet possible to say much about Gen Beta with any certainty – except for one thing: It will in all likelihood be a very small generation, because the birth rate is currently falling. – dpa