Talk:Millennials

Some observations, and ideas

Remember, a generation is defined by certain events that occurred in their lifetimes, thus a shared perspective. For example, the Boomers were born during a "boom" time where birthrates were the highest they had ever been. They also had the Kennedy assasination, Woodstock, and the Vietnam War draft. That's why some want Obama and others who were just a bit too young to have been in the draft before it ended in 1975, put into Generation Jones. They had large classes in school like the other boomers, but were only 8 durring Woodstock, and they weren't able to be drafted to Vietnam!

Keep in mind, even though it is considered to have technically ended in 1975 with the Fall of Saigon, it wasn't until 1977 when Carter pardoned the draft dodgers, which in a lot of people's minds was the true "end" to it all. American's were able to come back, without fear of going to prison, and return to "normal" lives. However, all those born in the early 1960's were still too young to serve in 1977. The youngest would have been born in the 1950's- the heart of the boomers.

People point to birthrate to define a generation, because they share the common perspective of a large class in school (more of them). This doesn't quite work for those after the boom, because the "bust" of the second half of the 1960's through the 1970's, wasn't THAT much. Because of different factors, many babies weren't born in the 1970's compared to the 1960's and 1980's. Those born in the 1970's had smaller classes, and that was the decade with the fewest births since the baby boom. The births increase in the 1980's as more and more boomers settle down, start families, and obviously all the draft dodgers could now have families, causing birthrates to go up to boomer levels, hence the term "echo-boom".

Some try to pinpoint when the start of that boomlet was. Some point to 1976, because more were born that year than 1975, and it did continue to go up until 1993. If you look at the pure numbers though, births don't go up to near boomer levels until 1979 when the number was almost 3.5 million (the very MINIMUM to be considered a "boom"), until 1993, the last year it was still over 4 million. The actual live birthrate of those years are roughly 16%.

That means the 1980's babies have the same shared perspective that the boomers have- larger class sizes. The other problem with a shared perspective is that there was no major war like Vietnam. There were some other things that occured though. The first that everyone seems to point to is 9/11 (although this is more for the end of Generation Y more than anything else). There is also the dotcom bust of the early 2000's.

Both events are in 2001, and don't forget that after 9/11, the stock market really declined. So, put everything into perspective. If you're 22 (born 1979), you're just graduating college this year (assuming the 4 year thing), and are going into the workforce when all kinds of bad stuff is happening! Also, if you count "coming of age" as 21, then the first to come of age in the "new millennium" or the 2000's (using 2000 to start) would have been born in 1979. Another shared perspective. The final entire year Clinton was in office and the world was "peaceful" was 2000. The youngest to have kept him in office for those 8 years were born (excluding those born after election day in November) from 1975 to 1978. Assuming they graduated college at 22, they would all be in the workforce during the dotcom boom.

The 2000 US Presidential election has gone down in history as being the most controversial in the last 100 years. The Florida election results kept the winner from being decided for days. The youngest voters in this election were born for the most part from 1979 to 1982. That means their first presidential election has been marred. A shared perspective.

Looking at US presidential elections, the US just had the most historic. In 2008, the first African American president was elected. Zogby divided the voters into different demographics, based solely on age. The youngest voters were in the 18-29 demographic, or those born between 1979 to 1990. Another shared perspective, "young" voters were those between 18 and 29. Here's a link that talks about it:

http://www.zogby.com/blog/10112008part2.cfm

Finally, if you look at the historical events, as well as birthrate, you'll come to see a divide happening between Generation X and Generation Y. If we look solely at birthrate, the 16% (rounded) rate begins in 1979, and ends in 1994. If we look at the youngest voters of the 2000 election, we see the entire years 1979 to 1981 included. Looking at the most historic election in United States history, Zogby puts all the those in the 18-29 demographic to be all those born from 1979 to 1990. Also, keep in mind nearly all those born in 1994 will be old enough to vote for Obama's re-election in 2012. Plus, the first to turn 21 in the 2000's were born in 1979.

A little about me. I'm 32 (born 1977), and I noticed when I was talking to those born in 1979 and later about the first time I voted for a president in the 1996 election, they either don't remember it, or didn't care. I talk to them about the 2000 election, it's as if a lightbulb went off, and they talk about how they were in suspense for days to see who won. It's odd to me how back in the 90's during different elections I was put into the Gen X category, and somehow this decade I became a Gen Y, when I remember nearly all the 80's, and even voted 5 times in the 90's! I also talk to 80's babies about different events from the early 80's (1982 specifically), and I get a blank stare. I noticed that everyone I talk to born in 1977 all seem to remember the early/mid/late 80's, while those born in 1979 somehow only seem to have mid/late 80's memories. Can 2 years really make that kind of difference? I guess it can when talking about 1982, as 1984 to them was 1982 to me. I remember clearly when I was 5 in 1982, and saw ET in theaters, heck I even kept that ET doll from back then. Looks like trash, but he's MY trash! I also remember the record player I got for Christmas that year, and all the records I used to play on it back in the early/mid 80's. I tell all this stuff to 80's babies, and they act like I'm old! They talk about the cassettes they used to play in the mid/late 80's, and I did get a cassette player in 1985, but I remember the early 80's, BEFORE cassettes had the market! There's a shared perspective the mid to late 70's babies have that seem to really taper off around 1978. This connects us to other Xers (barely), that we have a shared perspective that those born in 79 and the 80's just don't have. Thanks for reading, and I think once others start seeing these perspectives, they will then divide Gen X and Gen Y between 1978 and 1979. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.11.154.4 (talk) 21:22, 15 August 2009 (UTC)

I would agree very much with the paragraph above. I was born in 1974, and people five years younger than me are COMPLETELY different. Pop culture landmarks such as ET, Star Wars, and Michael Jackson's Thriller are good measures. If you can't remember these coming out then you're probably Gen Y. I tend to think of Gen X as being born 1960-1975. Gen Y has grown up with the internet and cellphones. These were novelties to Gen X, who grew up with cassette tapes, video games and only a handful of TV channels. 121.73.7.84 (talk) 12:21, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

I remember Thriller! It was early 1983 when I was about 6 that I heard Billie Jean on the Motown 25. The next day in my school, it seemed like EVERYONE was singing Billie Jean on the playground! I was also born in 1977, and I remember ET, but since I was born the year Star Wars came out, I don't remember the original. I do remember the final one in 1983, if that counts. I think 1977 may be the final year for Gen X though, because there's another 1977 baby (John Mayer) who commented on Jackson's death by saying it "feels like the loss of ourselves as kids listening to Thriller on the record player". I also played records as a child in the early 80's- those old book and record sets, remember those? Also, for what it's worth, I didn't have more than 4 tv channels (ie cable) until 2000, when I owned my own house! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.235.82.227 (talk) 04:15, 31 October 2009 (UTC)

I took a Sociology class at SIUe, and they used similar logic, but they had different years than you. They claim those born from 1976 to 2000 were known as Generation Y. They used similar ideas, saying that Generation Y's first vote was in 2000, something the class talked about one day. They did talk about that screwed up Florida part. I thought about the same comment you made, that the ones born in 1976-1978 would have been old enough to have voted in the 1996, making me wonder how 2000 was their first vote! I can't see the logic, because the teacher said the first-time voters were between the ages of 18-24. Isn't 24 old enough to have voted in TWO elections that year, I asked. She said if they had turned 18 four years earlier- so wouldn't that make the person 22, not 24? She said I was overthinking everything, and first-time voters in 2000 were born from 1976-1982. Oh well, I guess everyone has a different point of view! I tend to agree that Generation Y begins around 1980, aka the Reagan era. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 146.163.45.176 (talk • contribs) 23:57, 22 August 2009 (UTC)

I took that class, she didn't say they were 18-24, she said they were born from 1976 to 1982. Yes, that means they were 18-24, and she was using those ages, because that's the common age group for college students. Ususally, first time voters are in college, meaning the 18-24 demographic. Yes, it also means the 23 and 24-yr-olds could have voted in 1996 as well, but they were still in the 18-24 demographic in 2000, so that's why their birthyears (1976, 1977) were included. If you think about it, they would be the ONLY years to have voted in 1996, because someone born in December, 1978, would have still been 17 during the 1996 election. Hope this clears up why the teacher said that the first-time voters in 2000 were born from 1976 to 1982. I was born in 1987, and I'm clearly Generation Y. I don't get why people include those a decade older than me into my generation. They were in college before cell phones and the internet became widespread, so how did they have the same experiences as I did? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 146.163.45.58 (talk • contribs) 20:56, 27 September 2009 (UTC)

Just to clarify, the Internet became widespread in 1996 - hence, the start of the "tech boom" Also, everyone at my school was forced to have a laptop/notebook from around 1994. As for cell phones/ mobile phones to some, they were very widespread in college by 1999. Certainly most had them in 1999, after that they started going progressively younger. Not sure what that means for this, but they are objective facts.202.139.104.226 (talk) 07:04, 9 October 2009 (UTC)

But 1995 was BEFORE the boom, wasn't it? I looked it up, and less than 10% of the population was online, and even smaller were cell phone users. Those born in 1977 were in college BEFORE those booms, as you say yourself that 1996 was the start. I said they were in college BEFORE, didn't I? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe 1995 was BEFORE 1996. Here's proof of less than 10% internet:

http://dssresources.com/news/259.php

Here are the numbers for cell phone users (assuming adults)

http://www.caslon.com.au/timeline13.htm#5

The population in 1995 was roughly 260 million, so 25 million is less than 10%. Most users were buisness people, NOT college students. I have a cousin who was born 1976, and he graduated college in 1999, and said that no one in his class had a cell phone, because they were just too expensive. Most those who had them at that point had the money for them, so they were NOT common in college in 1999. Maybe the 1999/2000 school year, but definately NOT the 1998/1999 school year.

I can tell the two of you are Generation Y, and 202.139.104.226, you are either not from America, or you were too young to remember the 1990's as an adult. I say this, because in 1994 laptops were over $2,500, so you must have gone to a wealthy school if they MADE you have one when Windows 95 wasn't even out yet! It would have to have either DOS, or Windows 3.1 to run. Plus, if you had a cell phone in the 90's, again, you would have had to have a very high level of disposable income. I first saw one in 1999, and the ONLY reason the guy had one was because he was working 2 full time jobs, going to school part-time, and had to have one, because he had a 3-yr-old daughter. He was born in 1975, and I was born in 1977, so obviously, if they were widespread in 1999 as you say, then I would have had one, and he wouldn't have been cool like he was. He was cool back then, because he had a cell phone. I found out he paid over $70/month for it, and the service was lousy!

Speaking of widespread cell phone users, if you bother to do the research, between 1999 and 2001, cell phone users exploded in America. That would mean that 2002 was the year they were "everywhere", NOT 1999.

As far as the internet goes, the "tech boom" was when the number of WEBSITES exploded, not the number of web users. The "user boom" occurred in 1998, just over 2 years after the number of websites shot to the moon. It takes time after something gets attractive for the number of users to go up.

From now on you Generation Y kids should REALLY do your homework, and NOT believe everything you read. I can tell you from personal experience, VERY few had a cell phone in college in 1999 (maybe some of the early 80's babies that were just starting college in 1998/1999 could have, but NOT the seniors!), and VERY few people were online before 1998! I CLEARLY remember both years, so I am an authority on both! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.11.154.4 (talk) 23:55, 13 October 2009 (UTC)

Interesting, because I too was born in 1977, and all through the 1990's, I heard I was a member of the "young adults" known as Generation X. I was in my teens/early 20's, and I'd have to agree. However, around 2001 or so, I started to hear that I was part of this new "young person" of Generation Y. What I don't get is that if you're in your mid-20's, you're still a "young adult"??? I too graduated college in 1999, and like you I didn't see any of my senior classmates with cell phones. Heck, I didn't even own one until 2004, when I was 27. I did start to use the internet in 1996, but just for email. It was in 1998 that I started seeing these new kids come in, use the computers like there was no tomorrow- they'd be on these chat rooms, their cells would ring, and they'd keep on chatting with people on BOTH their computers and cell phones!!! I'd say they were born between 1979 and 1980, so that's a good starting point for Gen Y. Plus, in my opinion, if you graduated college under Clinton, you entered the economy during a time of amazing growth. Look it up, from 1993 to 2000, the economy was booming. Those are characteristics of Generation X, meaning those born from 1971 to 1978 would have turned 22 those years, placing them into the Gen X category. I think those born from 1971 to 1978 ARE Gen X, and you won't convince me otherwise- sorry Jason Dorsey, according to me, you're the final year of Gen X, and not the beginning year of Gen Y!!! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.235.82.227 (talk) 06:03, 16 October 2009 (UTC)

For whats its worth, I had a cell phone in 1999 when I was 14. And most of my friends had them too. But then I'm solidly in Generation Y, so what do I know?

Well there are a few demographs that put 1984 or 1985 as the end of Gen X. Personally, I think Gen Y started in 1980 because they would be first to hit puberty living in post-Cold War America. Plus people born in 1980 were the first to come out of College after 9/11.

Generations

Okay, first off, I'm a grad student studying sociology and the impacts of generations on societies, and I was born in 1977. I thought I would throw my 2 cents in. I have heard Gen Y being those born anywhere from 1975 (yes, 75!) to 2001 (yes, 01!). That's 26 years, and WAY too large, because you and your baby can NOT be the same generation! I'll focus on what I've heard recently, the 1977 to 1994 one.

Now, I can tell from personal experience, to say 1977-1994 is wrong. Here's why. Their parents would be represented by FOUR other generations! Here's how. I went to school with other kids born in 1977. Most had Boomer parents, but some had parents born in the 1930's, making them Silent Generation. I know one personally, who had a brother born in 1955, and he was born in 1977 after their parents decided to have another child! Now, look at 1994 babies. Those born in the 1970's could be their parents, meaning X-ers. Let's say someone born in 1970 had a baby in 1994, that's an Xer having a Y baby. I also had a person I know born in 1977 who had a baby in 1994, when they were 17. If 1977 is also Y, then both them and their child are the same generation!

Recap, if the 1977 to 1994 demographic is used, the parents of that generation would consist of Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, X-ers, and Y's themselves! That's FOUR generations that could parent Generation Y! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 146.163.42.167 (talk) 23:32, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Agreed, lets not base generations on who the offspring parents were. I mean it is completely possible for a 9 year old to have a kid! - Joe —Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.78.125.116 (talk) 03:21, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

I'm getting tired of all this demographication, saying you were born this year, you're this generation. Look, EVERYONE alive right now, reading this is part of the same generation! We're all living in the here and now, making us the generation looking at the ending of 2009, and the beginning of 2010.

What separates us by age is what we lived through. In looking at the babies born in the 1970's, they grew up either late 70's/early 80's, or 80's, or late 80's/early 90's. For the most part, Carter, Reagan and Bush were their childhood presidents. They ALL turned 10 at some point in the 1980's, the first of the "big" birthdays, they all turned 20 in the 1990's, and 30 this decade. They all survived the early 2000's recession, and are surviving this one. Really, those born in the early 80's do have some shared perspective to those born in the late 70's, but they will never be able to claim they lived every second of the 1980's!

What also separates the generation of adults is the memories of those shared perspectives, like that one person said about voting for Clinton in the 1990's, something no 1980's baby would have been old enough to do. The other thing to keep in mind is that false memories can be implanted. A 1983 baby who was in diapers running round the front yard in Jan 1986 the very moment Challenger blew up may see a video of the Challenger explosion years later in school, and think they have a memory of it, when in reality they don't. Just because they lived it, doesn't necessarily mean they remember it.

To be old enough to lay claim to a decade as yours, you HAVE to reach at least 10 in that decade. If you're just 5-8, your memories of that decade will overlap the memories of the following decade, and you won't be able to separate the 2 as easily. If, however, you made it to 10, you should be able to separate the end of one decade and the beginning of the next. Psychology shows that the brain begins to really expand between 10 and 12. That being the case, those who reached those ages in the 1980's can lay claim to that decade as theirs. In other words, if you were born in 1977, and you were 10, 11, and 12 in the 1980's, you're going to have clear separation memories from 1989 and 1990. You're going to remember 1989, and remember events from that year personally, becuase you would have been in 7th grade and in junior high (even in 6th you're still in junior high) that year.

This being the case, the true separation for those who lay claim to the 1980's as their would have been born between 1977 and 1979, meaning those 1980's babies would be a whole new breed. Also, keep in mind every baby born in the 1980's entered this decade a teenager! The first ones turned 20 on Jan 1, 2000- they never made it past their teen years in the 1990's!

I saw that Newsweek article from 1999 talking about the current teenagers, and they used the classification of Generation Y to be those born from 1979 to 1994. I personally would have something like 1980 to 1989, as THEY were all the adolescents that year! To me, Generation X would be those born from 1970 to 1979, Generation Y would be 1980 to 1989, and the Generation Z I hear about now would be 1990 to 1999.

Ending this though, I will say that we are all a generation of humans living in the here and now. Only when we start separating those with the same perspective do we get into "generations". In all fairness, you can't use the children of one generation to count as another, because one as large as the Baby Boomers would be able to parent generations for decades! Thanks for reading, have a great day! --JC —Preceding unsigned comment added by 146.163.42.18 (talk) 23:20, 8 November 2009 (UTC)

Anorexia in Gen Y

The desire to meet model beauty standards is still increasing, particularly in women. The Institute of Psychiatry in London found a three fold increase in anorexia and bulimia between 1988 and 1993. Genetic traits linked to anorexia and bulimia may be obsessiveness, perfectionism, and anxious personality styles.

Why not make it scientific and graph it?

Why doesn't anyone graph the birthrate for America? The baby boom of the late 40's to early 60's was how they defined the boomers, so why not do that with the Xers? If you strictly go by the graph, the boomers are from 1945 to 1959, X is 1960 to 1975, and Y would be 1976 to 1991. This creates some problems, because the "boom", which really started in 1946 due to the huge increase from the previous year, was still going, despite it starting to decline, as more than 4 million babies were born each year from 1960 to 1964. Also, the births in 1976, 1977 and 1978 were still below the 3.5 million mark, and don't reach it until 1979- if you round. So, looking purely at the numbers, the three generations would be:

1946-1964: Boomers; 1965-1978: Gen X; 1979-1994: Gen Y

Here are the numbers from the U.S. Census report:

1940: 2,559,000; 1945: 2,858,000; 1950: 3,632,000; 1952: 3,913,000; 1953: 3,965,000; 1954: 4,078,000; 1955: 4,104,000; 1956: 4,218,000; 1957: 4,308,000; 1958: 4,255,000; 1959: 4,295,000; 1960: 4,257,850; 1961: 4,268,326; 1962: 4,167,362; 1963: 4,098,020; 1964: 4,027,490; 1965: 3,760,358; 1966: 3,606,274; 1967: 3,520,959; 1968: 3,501,564; 1969: 3,600,206; 1970: 3,731,386; 1971: 3,555,970; 1972: 3,258,411; 1973: 3,136,965; 1974: 3,159,958; 1975: 3,144,198; 1976: 3,167,788; 1977: 3,326,632; 1978: 3,333,279; 1979: 3,494,398; 1980: 3,612,258; 1982: 3,680,537; 1983: 3,638,933; 1984: 3,669,141; 1985: 3,760,561; 1986: 3,731,000; 1987: 3,829,000; 1988: 3,913,000; 1989: 4,021,000; 1990: 4,179,000; 1991: 4,111,000; 1992: 4,084,000; 1993: 4,039,000; 1994: 3,979,000;

Plus, those born from 1979 on were the first cohert to come of age (21) starting in 2000.

If we did that, then there's not a debate, and people LOVE to argue, saying they're right, and everyone else is wrong! Really, the 15 year span that Newsweek quoted in 1999, the 1979 to 1994, probably will eventually stick, but assumes all get along, and until there's something like an election of a black president in the United States, where people are separated into the over 30 and the 18 to 29 demographics, then we'll continue to argue. WAIT A MINUTE! There was an election of a black president, it was in 2008, and that's the exact demographic Zogby used! See, really Gen Y's demographic is those born from 1979 to 1994! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 146.163.42.167 (talk) 23:02, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Timespan

We really need a proper definition of Generation Y.

Some thoughts

• Anyone born before 1977 is certainly not Generation Y.
• Anyone born post-1992 is probably Generation Z.
• A human generation is either 20 or 30 years, depending on which source you go by (though 20 years more reasonable).
• The majority of Gen Y are generally in the teens or 20s now.

--Josh Atkins ^{(talk - contribs)} 11:33, 13 September 2008 (UTC)

• • Certainly agree - I tend to think of a Generation as 18 years - the generally accepted time to maturity and adulthood. The start date of Gen Y and demarcation with Gen X is a problem area, no one seems to agree upon. However - I believe the enddate of Gen Y and start of Gen Z is clear, to qualify as a Gen Y you have to be able to remember (in a very basic sense) what the world was like before terrorists brought down the twin towers, which of course happened in September 2001. For the record, I am not American, but that even did change the entire course of human history, that is surely indisputable.

• • Given that, I would say anyone younger than 5 or 6, at the time of 9/11 therefore does not qualify as Gen Y - they are by definition part of the next Generation, Gen Z. That to me puts the end date of Gen Y at about (Northern) Summer of 1995. If you extrapolate back from that date by a Generation (of 18 years) you get to 1977.

• • Younger than 5 should work, I was 5 the year of 9/11 and can remember it vividly.

• • Given all that, it seems perfectly reasonable to mark Generation Y as "generally accepted" as those born between 1977-1995. (Summer to Summer if you must)

• • Personally I think there are other factors in play, and they go largely to the ages of your siblings. If you are the youngest sibling in a family of 6, and your 3 brothers and sisters were born in the early 1970s and you were born in 1977 or 1979 or even 1981 - you are far more likely to identify strongly with Gen X themes because of the influence of your siblings.

• • If, however, you were born in 1975 but had three or four younger siblings born in 1979, 1981, 1984, 1986 for instance, you have been far more heavily influenced by more Gen Y themes. This is where the bridging explanations come from and why people of the same age may very well belong to different Generations. It is about environment as well as just date of birth - but that is far too complicated to go into properly when no one can even agree on when the basic parameters of Generation Y start and end. - I do plant my flag for 1995 as the final year of Generatio Y though, and I stand by that demarcation strongly.

• • Sorry to dissagree, but the end should be the Summer of 1996. 9/11 is a good point when the world changed and people born before the summer (Including myself in January) can remember 9/11, but people born afterwards in late 1996 or 1997 cannot.

• • I believe that Generation Y spans January 1, 1982 to September 11, 1996. I was 6 when 9-11 occured and I can remember it very well (I was born in Jan. 1995, and I consider myself to be a member of Generation Y.) I had a sister in Dec. 1999 and I consider her to be an member of Generation Z because she cannot remeber the 9-11 attacks. Also, I think that 9-11, the two wars in the middle east, and the election of Barack Obama have made a larger impact on Gen Y than the rise of digital technology... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.105.128.56 (talk) 02:13, 17 May 2009 (UTC)

• • I personally think that Digital Technology has had a much larger impact on GenY than 9/11. Iraq, Afghanistan, and September 11th, they're just news stories, essentially. Watching the twin towers fall when your 6 won't change your attitude towards the world... because there'll be no attitude to change. But the internet... if your entire life has been in a digital world, you will have a completely different attitude towards your friends, family, information, socialization, and so on than anyone before you. I've heard that kids born in ~1994-95 were using MSN messaging when they were in grade 3(03-04). When I was in grade 3(99-00, not long before 03-04), nobody would have been interested in talking to each other on the phone or internet, we would much rather play fort. And if you were to go back 10, 20, 60, or even 120 years, there would have been the same rough attitude. The internet is probably the most significant generational cut off point since WWI. I would say Gen Y covers the years 1978-1993.bob bobato (talk) 00:38, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

I agree with you to an extent. However, this is all purely speculation and our own personal opinions. Personal anecodtes will be very different from person to person. We need to find reliable sources to back up and reinforce opinions in the article.Peregrine981 (talk) 14:28, 31 August 2009 (UTC)

I totally agree with Bob bobato, I was born on Oct 1989, and there is absolutly a noticeable difference between someone born, for instance in 1990 than someone born in 1995, of course the problem would be the lack of reliable sources to back up my personal point of view. I'll take my time to look up several sources and statements on the internet.. --Fercho85 (talk) 04:12, 9 October 2009 (UTC)

This is Gen X, not Gen Y

The article states the following:

In most parts of the world its upbringing [Gen Y] was marked by an increasingly neo-liberal or market oriented approach to the politics and economics.[25]

I would argue most vehemently that this is a defining feature of Gen X, not Gen Y. The late 70s and 1980s was the era of neo-liberal reforms. The 1990s saw a slight move back to the left as the neo-liberal 1980s was moderated by centre-left governments such as Labour in the UK, and the Democrats in the USA. The environmental movement became stronger at this time also. I am speaking from the POV of English speaking countries. Reaganomics and Thatcherism is not really something Gen Y associate with their childhoods IMO. 121.73.7.84 (talk) 12:09, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

Well, as the article supporting it says, "The ascendancy of neoliberalism has occurred through a series of interconnected transformations that began with the economic turmoil of the 1970s, the rise of New Right governments across the 1980s, and the deepening internationalization of the circuits of money and industrial capital, modes of communication, and governance structures in the 1990s." I believe that neo-liberalism was firmly entrenched in the 1990s, as even nominally "left" governments such as in the USA, UK and Canada adopted very corporate friendly policies. This orthodoxy went well beyond Reagan and Thatcher, and has only recently been fundamentally challenged. Neoliberalism certainly marked the upbringing of Gen X, but also Gen Y. I think that the source cited does a decent job of explaining the situation. Peregrine981 (talk) 14:57, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

New Propsoals for the Generations (So at least the articles on them will be consistent)

The Baby Boomers; Early 1940’s to Mid 1950’s Generation Jones; Mid 1950’s to Late 1960’s Generation X; Late 1960’s to Mid 1970’s Generation Y; Mid 1970’s to Early 1990’s Generation Z; Early 1990’s to Mid 2000’s Generation Obama; Mid 2000’s to Late 2010’s