Dictionary.com has summed up “OK boomer” as “a viral internet slang phrase used, often in a humorous or ironic manner, to call out or dismiss out-of-touch or close-minded opinions associated with the Baby Boomer generation and older people more generally.” It's a helpful explanation for someone who is trying to figure
The baby boomer generation has experienced some of the most important events in American history. Politically, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the civil rights movement, and the Vietnam War all affected baby boomers. Woodstock, Beatlemania, and the moon landing also defined the generation.
Why Are They Called Baby Boomers? Baby Boomers or “Boomers” got their name from the skyrocketing birth rates following World War II. It is estimated that, on average, approximately 4.2 million babies were born each year in the United States between the years of 1946 and 1964.
Baby boomers are a designated group of people who were born between 1946 and 1964. They are labeled as 'baby boomers' because during this period of time, there was a statistically significant increase in the number of births that occurred.
Boomers participate in a mix of solitary and group activities such as tennis, golf, jogging, walking and aerobic exercise, to name a few. Because baby boomers were the first to be targeted by health advertisers on TV, it's not surprising that they take their well-being seriously.
Baby boomers made up the first consumer generation. They grew up in the television age, watching mass media emerge from their living rooms, embracing sex-driven, racially integrated rock and roll—Elvis, Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles—all of it fueled by the world's first true mass audiences. But then they grew up.
Baby Boomers: Baby boomers were born between 1946 and 1964. They're currently between 56-74 years old (71.6 million in U.S.) Gen X: Gen X was born between 1965 and 1979/80 and are currently between 40-55 years old (65.2 million people in U.S.) Gen Y: Gen Y, or Millennials, were born between 1981 and 1994/6.
The last of them will reach full retirement age in 2031. At that point, there will be approximately 75 million people over the age of 65 in the U.S. That's a lot of retirees drawing on Social Security.
There are 21 million of them. They make up more than a quarter of the 76 million-strong baby boom. The youngest will be 50 this December. The last boomers came of age in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
But ending it in 1964 has its logic: It was the last year more than 4 million babies were born in the United States until 1989. And it gives the boom a 19-year span, a corollary to what we think of as a generation. It's a good place to stop.
There were some other positive effects of the Baby Boom as well. In order to keep up with all of the babies in the Baby Boom, more products had to be produced. Food, clothing, diaper and toy sales went up dramatically. So apparently, the Baby Boom not only raised the population, but the economy as well.
The baby boom lasted 20 years in Canada. During that time, more than 8.2 million babies were born, an average of close to 412,000 a year. In comparison, the number of births in 2008, when the population was twice as large as during the baby boom, was only 377,886.
Baby boomers defined as people born between 1945 and 1965, Generation X between 1961 and 1981 and Generation Y between 1979 and 1999.” According to Javelin, if you were born between 1961 and 1965, then you are a Boomer and a Gen Xer.
World War I did not produce a Baby Boom, because the so-called "Lost" generation that fought it was ALREADY a Baby bust generation. The war just exacerbated the effect of this cohort producing fewer children.
The baby boom began with the children whose birth their parents had postponed during the Depression, but two other factors also contributed to the boom. The annual number of births in Canada rose from 253 000 in 1940 to 479 000 in 1960, but dropped to 419 000 in 1965.
These effects cause a decline in young males' income relative to workers in their prime, a higher unemployment rate, a lower labor force participation rate and a lower college wage premium among these younger workers.
Baby boomers have changed the face of the U.S. population for more than 70 years and continue to do so as more enter their senior years, a demographic shift often referred to as a “gray tsunami.” The 2020 Census will provide the most up-to-date count of the baby boom generation, now estimated at about 73 million.
Population distribution in the United States in 2019, by generation
| Population share |
|---|
| The Silent Generation (born 1928-1945) | 6.36% |
| The Baby Boomer Generation (born 1946-1964) | 21.19% |
| Generation X (born 1965-1980) | 19.85% |
| The Millennial Generation (born 1981-1996) | 21.97% |
Baby Boomers' Important Characteristics
- Strong work ethic. Baby boomers aren't afraid to put in a hard day of work.
- Self-Assured. This generation is independent and self-assured.
- Competitive. Baby boomers like competition.
- Goal-centric.
- Resourceful.
- Mentally focused.
- Team oriented.
- Disciplined.
Boomers were once the best-educated generation, in part because the Vietnam War kept many Boomer men in college to avoid the draft. Thirty-one percent of Boomers had a bachelor's degree in 2013. An even larger 35 percent of Gen Xers and Millennials had a bachelor's degree.
What caused the baby boom? Victory and celebration of the end of WWII. Men and women returned from war and started having families. The birth rate in the US decreased during WWII.
