THE FATE OF THE BABY BOOMERS
THOSE BORN AFTER WORLD WAR ONE EXPERIENCED VERY DIFFERENT LIVES TO THOSE BORN AFTER WORLD WAR TWO
DESPITE there being fewer than three decades between World War One and World War Two baby boomers, these generations ended up leading very different lives.
While the original baby boomers lived through the Great Depression, WWII baby boomers were the first to benefit from 20th century developments such as cradle-to-grave welfare.
These drastically different circumstances mean the two generations have faced varying outcomes across their lives, including childbearing, employment and life expectancy. Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that a higher proportion of World War One baby boomers remained childless compared to those who came after them. More than a fifth of WWI baby boomer families (21 per cent) were without children by the time women turned 45. The financial burden of the Great Depression, coupled with the many young men dying in World War Two, could explain why World War One baby boomers experienced such high levels of childlessness.
By the time World War Two baby boomers were the same age, just nine per cent of women were childless.
The data also shows how chances of hitting old age have been far better for World War Two baby boomers.
Just 58 per cent of World War One baby boomers born in 1920 survived until the age of 70 in 1990.
That is compared with 78 per cent of World War Two baby boomers born in 1946 - who reached the milestone in 2016.
Having survived until the age of 70, continued life expectancy is also greater for World War Two baby boomers than those born after World War One.
Male baby boomers from World War One who had survived until 70 could expect to live until the age of 81 on average. For World War Two baby boomers, the figure was 85.
Women followed a similar pattern. Female WWI baby boomers who reached the age of 70 typically lived until 84 - whereas for WWII baby boomers the figure is likely to be 87.
That could be caused - in part - by a reduction in smoking habits.
Nearly a fifth (18 per cent) of World War One baby boomers smoked at the age of 70. That figure was slashed in half to nine per cent in 2016 for World War Two baby boomers.
Old age employment also varied between the two generations. The employment rate for people aged 70 to 79 in Great Britain doubled between 1992 and 2017 - from four to eight per cent - according to the Labour Force Survey. The increase may have been partly due to legislation coming into force in 2011, which prevented employers from compulsorily retiring workers once they reach 65. It could also suggest that older people are healthier and more able to continue working later in life, while for others it may be because of insufficient pension income.