My Generation

The family life cycle model recognises that families change over time around important events that alter relationships and start new life stages. It is becoming outdated in some respects and less appropriate. It represents a life that is becoming less common in the West. Families are less committed to having children. More resources are going on older people and less on children as the number of childless families rises. Cultural transmission from one generation to another is breaking down. Children and youths become isolated from their parents. Social welfare systems have shown themselves lacking in orientation to generational links. Children and young people are in a sense the victims of the older generation.

Governments once treated families in terms of social control with the father as the head. They now tend to recognise that families have 'autopoietic' rights though these rights have often been undermined. The effects of a lack of social support for families on children must be considered as must intergenerational equity. Individual and family rights must be compatible. The relationship of the family to other institutions in society must be considered and an equilibrium sought. A family must be recognised as a family.

As people get older their needs and preferences change often in the same way and time as others of the same age cohort. Everyone understands what the term 'my generation' means to them. There is a nostalgia about it. Age cohorts really start to become obvious with teenagers.

Teens experience many exciting changes that create uncertainty about self and the need to belong and finding their own unique identity. They often use products and brands to express themselves. There is often an element of teen rebellion. They have had to cope with insecurity, parental authority and peer pressure for centuries. This age has added its own new set of concerns about AIDs, the environment, racism and other social problems. 'Generation X' is an age grouping of 18-29ers. They are a very large group and are growing in importance. They are approaching the age where they are influencing fashion, popular culture, marketing and politics.

The 'Baby Boomers' are another big group. These 35-54 agers are the generation that boomed after WWII with a generation explosion of massive proportions. There is power in numbers. It has been described as 'a mouse in a python' being digested and travelling along the length of the body bit by bit. The interesting thing about the Baby Boomers is that now many of them are entering the 'grey market'. The 'Grey Market' are those whose biological clock is still ticking but only just. They are getting older. They are stereotyped as the 'poor recluse'. It is an outdated stereotype. The older generation now has a more active image. They are interested in what life has to offer. They are enthusiastic and have the means and willingness to buy goods and services. The older age groups display autonomy, connectedness, altruism and personal growth. Instead of chronological age a better yardstick might be 'perceived age'. Greys generally respond well to informative advertsting. The old stereotypes are no longer valid.

The old family life cycle model may be outdated in some respects but the family still has an important role to play in educating each other about the world and in building the cultural environment in which we and future generations will have to live. Some people seem to be waiting for the family to disappear and reduce the family life cycle to a life course approach which treats families as a set of contingent careers. The human family is having more impact on the environment than ever before. It is a new stage of history. We should be treating each other as brothers aware of the growing interdependence of humanity.

Future generations will have their demographic problems. They depend on the birthrates of today. The pessimism and selfishness of the neo-Malthusians is not the answer. Population has experienced a crash in recent times. What will happen if man disappears from the earth? Procreation is an act of human and social responsibility and decisions should be made by common council of the parents. The family life cycle model may be inadequate for some things but it may still be better than the life course approach for defending the family.