Generation X turns 30, or 60, depending on your view

Douglas Coupland’s “Generation X” was first published in 1991, so his influential first book is celebrating its 30th anniversary.

In his book, Coupland explicitly defines generation X as born in the late 1950s or during the 1960s. Such a classification places most gen-Xers now well into their 50s while others approach 65, which is an age commonly associated with retirement.

Coupland self-identifies as generation X and he turns 60 next month.

Additionally, Billy Idol — the singer fronting a rock band called Generation X that preceded Coupland’s book — was born in 1955.

Marketers and demographers, however, normally consider this generation to be younger — or born later — and potentially now facing their “mid-life” phase. Prominent polling and market research firms, including Nielsen and the Pew Research Center, define generation X as born between 1965 and 1980.

Why the disconnect concerning who is generation X?

To start with, the book’s main characters were in their late 20s and possessed minimal age differences. Generations, on the other hand, are typified by much larger age gaps.

The age span definitions among different generations — including the silent generation, baby boomers, millennials and generation Z — is variable. In other words, demographers do not define a generation according to a specified age span, such as 15 or 20 years.

Baby Boomers were already an established generational demographic, which recognized the immediate surge in post-Second World War births. But the “baby boom” classification also included the increased birth trends that continued until the mid-1960s.

Meanwhile, the challenges facing generation X — as one makes the transition in young adulthood from student to finding a career and being evermore independent — have also proven to be enduring.

Coupland’s novel spoke about those living in the shadow of the baby boom. Generation X was described as the “lost” generation, being over-educated while underemployed in what were dubbed “McJobs.” This cohort — despite approaching 30 years old — often faced still living at home with their parents as job prospects were bleak.

The plight of generation X is familiar among subsequent cohorts and generations.

Justin Trudeau — born in the early 1970s — was widely declared a Gen Xer when initially sworn in as prime minister. Trudeau, however, doesn’t match the classification provided by Coupland in his novel.

If looking for consensus regarding who is representative of generation X, those born during the second half of the 1960s suffice.

Brent Butt, Gerry Dee, Mario Lemieux, Sarah McLachlan, Shania Twain and Steve Yzerman serve as Canadian examples. Kurt Cobain, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Rock, Kyra Sedgwick and Brooke Shields are Americans that come to mind.

Definitions of generation X have implications for who we consider to be generation Y or Z, too.

“X” can be a symbol of ambiguity or the unknown. As such, “generation X” is a demographic appropriately named.