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A “Generation Gap”, is the difference of opinions on music, values, politics, et cetera, that occurs between one generation and another, usually between younger people and their parents and/or grandparents. (1) The sociological theory of a Generation Gap first came to light in the 1960’s at a time when the younger generation (later known as Baby Boomers), seemed to go against everything their parents had previously believed in; i.e., music, values, governmental and political views. Sociologists now refer to “Generation Gap” as “institutional age segregation”. Sociologists have divided the lifespan into three different levels: Childhood, Midlife and Retirement. Usually when any of these age groups is engaged in their primary activity its individual members are physically isolated from people of other generations, with little interaction across age barriers except at the nuclear family level. They are looking at the ways in which generations separate themselves from each other, not only in the home, but in social situations such as church or clubs; i.e., “senior centers” and “youth centers”. According to sociologists Gunhild O. Hagestad and Peter Uhlenberg this generational segregation is of great concern as it fosters “ageism” and “increases risk of isolation” as people age. Each generation, when interacting with each other, has a wealth of information to pass on to the others. For instance, the older generations provide great economic and general life-experience knowledge to the younger generations, while the younger generations provide input into current music and technology trends. (2) The transitions from each level of lifespan development have remained the same throughout history. They have all shared the same basic milestones in their travel from childhood, through midlife and into retirement. However, while the pathways remain the same, i.e. attending school, marriage, raising families, retiring, the actual journey varies not only with each individual, but with each new generation. (3) For instance, as time goes on, technology is being introduced to individuals at younger and younger ages. While the Baby Boomers had to introduce Atari and VCRs to their parents, Generation Y’ers have had to teach their parents how to maneuver such things as DVRs, cell phones and social media. There is a vast difference in Generation Y’ers and the Baby Boomers when it comes to technology. In 2011, the National Sleep Foundation conducted a poll that focused on sleep and the use of technology; 95% of those polled admitted to using some form of technology within the last hour before going to bed at night. The poll and its associated research was conducted by Michael Gradisar, Ph.D. of Flinders University in Australia. Dr. Gradisar compared the difference in sleep patterns in those who watched TV or listened to music prior to bedtime compared to those who used cell phones, video games and the internet. The study looked at Baby Boomers (ages 46-64), Generation X’ers (ages 30-45), Generation Y’ers (ages 19-29) and Generation Z’ers (ages 13-18). The research, as expected, showed generational gaps between the different forms of technology used. The largest gap was shown between texting and talking on the phone; 56% of Gen Z’ers and 42% of Gen Y’ers admitted to sending/receiving/reading text messages every night within one hour prior to bedtime, compared to only 15% of Gen X’ers and 5% of Baby Boomers. Baby Boomers were more likely to watch TV within the last hour prior to bedtime, 67%, compared to Gen Y’ers who came in at 49%. When asked about computer/internet use within the last hour prior to bedtime, 67% of those polled admitted to using a computer “a few times a week”, and from those, 55% of the Gen Z’ers said they “surf the web” every night before bed. (8) Intergenerational Living “Both social isolation and loneliness in older men and women are associated with increased mortality, according to a 2012 Report by the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America”. (4) Intergenerational living is one method being used currently worldwide as a means of combating such feelings. A nursing home in Deventer, The Netherlands developed a program wherein students from a local university are provided small, rent-free apartments within the nursing home facility. In exchange, the students volunteer a minimum of 30 hours per month to spend time with the seniors. The students will watch sports with the seniors, celebrate birthdays, and simply keep them company during illnesses and times of distress. (4) Programs similar to the Netherlands’ program were developed as far back as the mid 1990’s in Barcelona, Spain. In Spain’s program, students were placed in seniors’ homes, with a similar goal of free/cheap housing in exchange for companionship for the elderly. That program quickly spread to 27 other cities throughout Spain, and similar programs can be found in Lyons, France and Cleveland, Ohio. (5) Demographics In order for Sociologists to understand the transition into adulthood of children in different generation gaps, they compare the current generation to both older and earlier generations at the same time. Not only does each generation experience their own ways of mental and physical maturation, but they also create new aspects of attending school, forming new households, starting families and even creating new demographics. (3) The difference in demographics regarding values, attitudes and behaviors between the two generations are used to create a profile for the emerging generation of young adults. (3) Following the thriving economic success that was a product of the Second World War, America’s population skyrocketed between the years 1946-1964, to which the new American generation was called the “Baby Boomers”. Today, these Baby Boomers are celebrating their 65th birthdays and in the next two decades America’s senior citizen population will boost exponentially due to the population of people who were born during the years 1946 and 1964. (6) The generation gap, however, between the Baby Boomers and earlier generations is growing due to the Boomers population post-war. There is a large demographic difference between the Baby Boomers generation and earlier generations, where earlier generations are less racially and ethnically diverse than the Baby Boomers’ population. (6) Where this drastic racial demographic difference occurs also holds to a continually growing cultural gap as well; baby boomers have had generally higher education, with a higher percentages of women in the labor force and are more often to occupy professional and managerial positions.(6) These drastic culture and generation gaps create issues of community preferences as well as spending. Different Values Not only are the Baby Boomers fast approaching their late 60’s, they are also becoming increasingly distant from the current early 90’s generation, known as “Generation Y”. (7) Also known as “echo boomers”, Generation Y follows Gen X, also known as the Baby Boomers, and includes Americans born between 1977 and 2002. As of now, Generation Y is “a force of as many as 70 million” and moving into the workforce at not only quicker rates but at younger ages as well. (7) Along with these younger ages comes different attitudes and values, especially concerning their selves and the workplace. Generation Y’ers are known for their self confidence and a “speak-your-mind philosophy”, which assistant account executive at Edelman Public Relations in Atlanta says, makes sense, considering that Generation Y’ers strive for independence and are comfortable in challenging the status quo. (7) The drive for accomplishment, financial stability and job security leads Generation Y’ers toward extremely goal-oriented work ethics that provide the security they are looking for. Financially, Generation Y workers learn of retiring benefits such as 401(K) plans relatively early in their adulthood, if not high school, and are more often concerned about their own self-fulfillment, personal time and future. Between the years 1985 and 1997, concerns of job security and future job replacements increased from 18.5 to 29.0 from a total of 153 trends. (3) Baby boomers, who put a higher priority on their future career oath, were more career-oriented compared to the younger Generation Y’ers, who require jobs with “flexibility, telecommuting options” as well as the “ability to go part time or leave the workforce temporarily,” especially when there are children involved in the equation. (7) These job requirements are but a small indication of the high expectations Gen Y’ers hold for themselves, as well as the high expectations they hold for their employers.

(1)        Generation gap. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved March 30, 2015, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/generation gap

(2)   Stepp, G. (2007). “Mind the Gap”, Vision Journal.

(3)   Settersten, Richard A., Furstenberg, Frank F., and Rumbaut, Rubén G., eds. On the Frontier of Adulthood : Theory, Research, and Public Policy. Chicago, IL, USA: University of Chicago Press, 2005. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 30 March 2015.

(4)     Reed, Carey (2015). “Dutch Nursing Home Offers Rent-Free Housing to Students”. PBS NewsHour: The Rundown.. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/dutch-retirement-home-offers-rent-free-housing-students-one-condition/#.VSmw0pEeER4.facebook. 12 April 2015

(5)    International Association of Homes and Services for the Ageing (IAHSA) (2013). “Intergenerational Living”. http://iahsa.net/Intergenerational_Living.aspx. Web. 12 April 2015.

(6)          Frey, William H. Baby Boomers and the New Demographics of America’s Seniors. San Francisco: American Society on Aging, 2010. PDF. 1 April 2015 (7)          Armour, Stephanie. "Generation Y: They've Arrived at Work with a New Attitude." Http://www.usatoday.com/. USA TODAY, 6 Nov. 2005. . Web. 4 April 2015.

(8)     HME News. Poll Suggests It’s Time to Unplug. June 2011; 17, 6; ProQuest Social Science Journals. P 27.