Gen X, Dot.Com, Busters, Boomerang & Sistahs!

That's My Generation Baby!

 

Born between 1965–1976 this generation was influenced by Watergate, Women’s Liberation, Energy Crisis, Fall of the Berlin Wall, Desert Storm, MTV and the Internet.


Gen X openly acknowledges and embraces social diversity. As a cultural generation they look beyond demographics to define themselves by a shared location in history, common beliefs, attitudes and values.

Note: Grouping people based on their year of birth may be reliable for a large population and the
characteristics for that group may be interesting and informative; however, the general characteristics will not fit every person born during the same span of time.



1964 Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin.

President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the the Economic Opportunity Act which, in part, creates the Job Corps

1965 Weeks v. Southern Bell, 408 F. 2d. 228 (5th Cir. 1969), marks a major triumph in the fight against restrictive labor laws and company regulations on the hours and conditions of women's work, opening many previously male-only jobs to women.

1965 The Voting Rights Act finally bans restrictions on voting, such as literacy
tests and other measures that discouraged African Americans from registering to vote.

1965 Dolores Huerta became the first female leader of the farm worker’s union. She
co‐founded the United Farm Workers with Cesar Chavez and became its contract negotiator.

1966 The National Organization for women (NOW) is founded by activist Betty Friedan
to end sexual discrimination.

1967 The Age Discrimination in Employment Act is signed into law by President Johnson.

1968 Shirley Chisholm (D‐NY) becomes the first African American woman U.S.

1968 Executive Order 11246 prohibits sex discrimination by government contractors and requires affirmative action plans for hiring women.

1969 The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) declared protective
legislation for women invalid.

1969 The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals rules that women meeting the physical requirements can work in many jobs that had been for men only.

1970 President Richard M. Nixon signs into law the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

1971 The U.S. Supreme Court outlaws the practice of private employers refusing to hire women with pre-school children.

The U.S. Supreme Court holds unconstitutional a state law (Idaho) establishing automatic preference for males as administrators of wills. This is the first time the court strikes down a law treating men and women differently. The Court finally declares women as "persons," but uses a "reasonableness" test rather than making sex a "suspect classification," analogous to race, under the Fourteenth Amendment.

1972 The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) measure won congressional approval.

1972 Coalition of Black Trade Unionists formed

1973 The U.S. Supreme Court bans sex-segregated "help wanted" advertising as a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as amended.

1973 Labor Council for Latin American Advancement founded

1974 The Coalition of Labor Union Women is founded.

President Gerald Ford signs the Employee Retirement Income Security Act into law.

1975 U.S. Congress voted down union-sponsored bill to reform the basic United States labor laws.

1976 U.S. Congress voted down union-sponsored bill to make it easier for construction unions to organize.

General Elec. Co v. Gilbert, 429 U. S. 125 (1976), the Supreme Court upholds women’s right to unemployment benefits during the last three months of pregnancy.

 

                                          

Generational Characteristics of Gen X

• May appear disillusioned, defensive; want high quality of life

• Self-reliant and resourceful

• Think and act according to their instincts

• May listen to counsel, but make own decisions

• Emotionally neglected by parents (first generation latchkey kids left on their own by divorced and/or working parents)

• Individualistic and diverse (ethnically, culturally, attitudinally)

• Independent, resilient, and adaptable

• Techno literate (grew up with PCs, VCRs, and video games)

• Entrepreneurial spirit

• Work-life balance a priority

• Informality

• Results oriented

• Global thinkers

 

View of Authority

• Question institutions (presidency, military, organized religion, corporations) and authority

• Tend to be skeptical toward authority

• Distrust hierarchy and prefer more informal arrangement

• May judge on merit rather than on status; are not impressed by titles or authority

• Are less concerned with office politics or playing the game within the system

• Dislike hidden agendas and secrecy

• Value independence and individuality—think of themselves as free agents or independent contractors

• Like to question policies and procedures that seem ambiguous, unclear, outdated

• Are flexible workers and independent agents and are uncomfortable with hierarchies and rigid structure


Technology
• Technology literate—first generation to grow up with PCs, VCRs ,and video games
• Grew up in environment of instant information such as open investigative reporting on TV and access to many types of information
• Technology is important to daily life and work and feel comfortable with it
• More educated than previous generations
• Expect employers to supply the latest technology to maintain their skills
• PC movement brought quest for equality, opportunity, individualism, and justice in the workplace

Relationships
• Prefer strong commitment to people and relationships; desire to build lasting relationships
• Seek sense of family, but family is not necessarily in terms of traditional or legal concepts but a
level of emotional commitment and support
• Can count on peers and themselves to get things done
• Tend to be self-directed; nonhierarchical
• More independent than Boomers or Silents

Diversity & Change
• Little concern about traditions or what honors the past
• Comfortable with and thrive on change; accustomed to fast-paced action and lack of stability
• Skeptical and attracted to the edge
• Comfortable with competing points of view or allowing contradictory perspectives or actions to
coexist
• Work well in multiculturalism settings; accept divergent approaches to religion, politics,
relationships
• Very receptive to women and minorities in management and leadership roles and believe in
equality in people, not necessarily equality in systems
• Treat people with different background/lifestyles in politically correct ways and enjoy building
relationships with them

Job/Career; Retirement
• Only 11% have lifetime careers
• Want responsibility, opportunity, and professional development and will move on if not provided
• Change careers more often than previous generations
• Self-managed and aggressive in creating own career path—constantly gaining many new skills and experiences to add value to themselves
• Have experienced limited mobility and career advancement due to Boomers’ prominence in the
workplace
• Approach a career lattice, moving laterally rather than climbing up the ladder
• Growing percentage becoming entrepreneurs
• Seek opportunities to become independent value adders—reinventing themselves and their roles
in organizations

Work Ethic/ Work- Life Balance
• Intrinsic value of work; it is a duty; sacrifice will pay off over the long term
• Periodic layoffs impacted blue-collar workers but did not last and workers were often called
back to original employer
• Sacrificed individual needs for the greater good
• Dependable—on time and ready to come to work
• Did not believe in rocking the boat, i.e., do not voice concerns and frustrations or complaints
out loud or publicly
• Strong work ethic; work is noble and ennobling
• Work life and family life are separate and distinct

Motivations, Rewards & Recognition
• Appreciate good schedule, time off, flexible hours, casual dress
• Like professional development/training opportunities
• Expect to be rewarded for small chunks of goaldirected behaviors (based on specific objective
criteria)
• Want to meet financial needs without too many demands on personal time

          Gen X Believes They Can Do Anything And They Will  
                              Educate, Agitate And Organize!

Sources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_labor_issues_and_events

http://www.dol.gov/100/timeline/#9

http://www.kenblanchard.com/img/pub/Blanchard_Next_Generation_of_Workers.pdf


                                  Next week will will take a deeper look into the lives of Gen Y...


                                               ~MORE~

http://www.bergermarks.org/resources/SteppingUpSteppingBack.pdf

Mind Your Military Manners: Military Etiquette and Grooming 1970

http://youtu.be/IOZoi6jFk9o

 CHISHOLM '72 UNBOUGHT & UNBOSSED

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vU0jtxf7-vo&feature=share

 Signed, Sealed and Delivered: 1978 Strike Against Mandatory Overtime, Speedups

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzQxmSst-dw&feature=gv