The world as many of my generation knows it is changing.
For most (OK, all) of our lives, we’ve been the tail wagging the dog. The Baby Boomers were the biggest segment of the population in America.
Not anymore.
Now, it’s the Millennials- those born from 1981 to 1996 (Sorry, Shosh and Matt, you are not among them)- comprise the largest population segment. There are some 73 million of them (many of these weren’t born here- they’re immigrants). We Boomers (1946 to 1964 birth years) are dying off, leaving us with only 72 million. (Our numbers peaked two decades ago at 79 million, back in 1999.)
And, the Millennials have a problem. But 2030, every member of my population segment will be over the age of 65, so Medicare is going to be taxed (pun intended) to supply the necessary health care. (By then, GenX, that generation of my eldest child, will exceed the population of Boomers.)
But, even that is not the big news. At least to me.
I was amazed when I read the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) report that said about 2% of our high school population identify as transgender.
Let that sink in for a second. (This generation, the one after the Millennials, is called Generation Z. Oh, and they are about to overtake the Millennials to become the primary cohort in America.)
Now, it could be a little off, but the CDC did sample almost 132K kids (131901, to be precise) to derive these facts.
The numbers also stipulate something else. These transgender kids are way more likely to have been victims of violence. (24% of transgenders vs. 6% of boys and 4% of girls who don’t identify as transgender.) Those kids who identify as transgender are more likely to have attempted suicide (35% vs. 5% of boys and 9% of gals).
It certainly is a very different world from the one in which I grew up.
And, now for one of my favorite bands, the Who. (Thanks, Roger for making me aware of them 55 years ago!)
I am Generation X, and these numbers surprise me, too. I see why so many ads seem to target millenials.
Welcome to the “about to be surpassed” generation, Jeanine.
I wonder what those terrible statistics would have been 25 or 50 years ago, when this population would have been in hiding, perhaps many of them thinking they were the only ones. I suspect the suicide rate was even higher.
We can’t go back in time and determine if that was the cause of many a suicide, Alana. But, you are right- it’s possible that these predilections have long been around.
Hubby and I are Baby Boomers, our children and 5 of our grands are Millenniums and 2 grands and all our great grands are Gen Z. Scary to think about what’s going to be like for them.
You said it well, there, Martha.