An Australian study examining generational cohorts and their levels of happiness deems Generation X a group of stressed out, unhappy, insecure types, wedged between their own young families and caring for their aging parents.

 

The Eye on Australia report found that members of Generation X are more likely than the national average to worry about family (40 percent versus 36 percent), and more likely to live paycheck to paycheck (57 percent versus 49 percent).

 

Gen Xers also have a tougher time facing themselves in the mirror, says the report. A majority of them struggle with body image issues, with over two-thirds stating they would like to be thinner (67 percent). They also rated themselves below the national average on looks (4.9 out of 10, compared to the national average of 5.15).

 

"Generation X was the 'choice' generation. They were told that they could do what they wanted in life, and unsurprisingly were a lot older before they started settling down, having children and buying a house," Simon Rich, director of planning at Grey Worldwide, the firm which conducted the study, said in a public statement.

"Now, it's hardly surprising that with trying to pay a mortgage on the family home, raising young children, worrying about their aging parents, and having the enthusiastic Generation Y encroaching on their jobs, poor Generation X are feeling the heat," he said. 

 

James Chung, president of Reach Advisors, a marketing strategy and research firm focused on shifts in how Americans live, play and buy, says the report confused life stage issues with generational concerns.   

 

“Life stage issues are ones shared by people going through a similar phase of life (e.g., parents of young children versus parents of older children). Generational issues are ones where a prior generation moved through a life stage differently than the current generation,” Chung tells demo dirt.

 

While the report stated the pressures of Xers to care for kids and parents, Chung says the concept has been misapplied and overstated. “The concept of the ‘sandwich’ generation, caring for children and older parents simultaneously, isn’t as much of an issue for Generation Xers yet as it is for Baby Boomers who are caring for the needs of older parents,” he maintains.

 

Miami-FL based Gaby Cora, MD, MBA, a psychiatrist with an expertise in generational cohorts, agrees with Chung. “With Gen Xers not having kids until they’re about 40, they are not necessarily ‘sandwiched.’ The Baby Boomers are still the ‘sandwich’ generation.”

 

However, Xers do have specific challenges unique to their generation, making it difficult for them to achieve the same financial security as their predecessors, especially when it comes to housing, Chung says. “The generational issue about financial-induced stress may have some validity. Since the average age for buying a first home is around 33 years old, almost all Baby Boom homeowners bought into the housing market before the unprecedented run-up in home values started in 1996,” he explains. 

 

“As a result, most of them have a cushion of home equity built up over that time. In contrast, the vast majority of Generation X homeowners bought into the market after the run-up started, so they have less of a cushion of home equity built up over time. And as home prices ran up, Generation X has ended up carrying approximately 55% more housing debt than Baby Boomers did at that point in their lives,” Chung says.

 

The report also lamented the “exhausted” state of Gen Xers, but that also may be due to life stage than any specific generational issue. “The point about Generation X as an exhausted generation does hold up here, but that’s more of a life stage issue,” Chung notes. “We’ve found that parents of young children get less sleep than any other segment, but that mantle will soon be handed over the Generation Y as they start to approach their peak years for childbearing.”

 

As for body image and appearance self-esteem, why did so many Gen Xers have such poor body image?

 

“It may be an Australian thing,” Chung suspects. “One of the key factors that correlates with body image is educational attainment, and American Gen Xers (and the female Gen Xers in particular) have higher rates of educational attainment.  Why does educational attainment play such a big factor?  Because it also correlates quite strongly with healthier eating, exercise, smoking and alcohol consumption.”  

 

Cora says the body-image question is an interesting one because “today, we have 40-year-olds who look great—many look much better than 40-year-olds did twenty years ago.”

 

“Gen X is more health-oriented, so maybe there is a push to look perfect, and some people may be overdoing it. I have even seen girls in their late 20s getting Botox, so there may be more and more pressure for Generation X to look good,” Cora tells demo dirt.

 

That pressure may stem from professional competition. “In the workplace, a 44-year-old Gen Xer may feel like he needs to compete with a 30-year-old for a position and feel more pressure to look good for a job,” Cora adds. 

 

Like Chung, Cora contends that many Xers tend to be more health-conscious than other generations. “They tend to be healthier than their Baby Boomer counterparts. There are 40-year-olds who look like 30-year-olds,” Cora notes.

 

Being that the study was Australian, some of that famous beach body pressure may be at play as well, Cora adds. “We have our share of body image issues here in the States, especially in sunny areas like California, and Florida, where people feel pressure to go on the beach looking divine.”

 

In Australia, it may be even tougher. “Middle-age body image may indeed be harder to maintain in a country where almost all the population lives near a beach and the favorite beverage comes in 25 ounce Fosters Lager cans,” Chung concludes.

 

 

Reach Advisors is a marketing strategy and research firm focused on emerging shifts in how people live, play and buy. For more information about its services, go to www.reachadvisors.com

 

For more information about Dr. Gabriela Cora, go to www.drgabycora.com. As a psychiatrist and medical doctor, she is also President of the Executive Health and Wealth Institute, providing corporate consulting.