Why Gen X Is So Pissed at Millennials

Between workplace ageism and an ongoing

shortage of well-paid jobs, it’s every generation
for itself
One of the unexpected outcomes of a recent article I wrote
about ageism in the workplace was an outpouring of stories from
older workers claiming to have been discriminated against for
their age. Another was a whole lot of Gen X vs. millennial hatred
in the comments.

A lot of the tired stereotypes older people hold about millennials —

we’re lazy, entitled, self-absorbed, etc. — are in part rooted in, or at
that very least reinforced by, age discrimination. Age
discrimination has left many Gen Xers with dwindling job
prospects in what they believed would be the most prosperous
period in their careers, and they resent the younger generation for
it.
“I am so tired of these millennials getting it all,” writes Stefania
Corti, a Los Angeles–based fashion designer. “What about us Gen
Xers? We were the ones to really work in life to get what we
wanted. No trophies for all, no certificates of participation, no soft
parenting. These spoiled Instagramming, Snapchatting,
Facebooking, IM-ing younger people are taking over the world,
while Baby Boomers are getting ready for their retirement, and us
Gen-Xers are in the shadow, confused at what the heck happened
to what was supposed to be the best years of our life.”

Corti’s comment received 32 likes, and the response just below

hers reads: “You said it sister!” Apparently the best way to respond
to an article about age discrimination is to denigrate an entire
generation based on their age.

But Corti’s frustration is misplaced. Millennials, who entered the

workforce after Gen X, didn’t make the hiring decisions that
negatively affected Corti and those in her age group. (Such as
the economic circumstances that made less experienced but
consequently cheaper workers seem more appealing.)

Other Gen-Xers resent millennials’ willingness to work longer

hours for less money and thus depressing wages in the workforce.

But millennials may be the most economically challenged

generation in American history. Unemployment rates for young
workers hovered near 20 percent in the wake of the Great
Recession, the highest such rate since the Department of Labor
began tracking the number after World War II. Wages for 20-
something college grads declined over this same period,
while student loan debt topped $1 trillion. If millennials took low-
paying jobs, it was out of necessity.
“Too often generations appear to blame one another for their
respective plights,” says Mike North, an assistant professor at New
York University’s Stern School of Business. “Older workers blame
younger generations for being able to work longer hours, at a
fraction of the cost, and without so many family obligations.
Meanwhile, younger generations blame older workers for delaying
retirement, remaining in the workforce longer than ever, and
clogging up the jobs pipeline for younger generations to get their
turn.”

But the disillusionment some Gen-Xers feel is justified, according

to Cam Marston, owner of Generational Insights, a consultancy
that advises companies on generational issues in the workplace.
Gen Xers feel “squeezed” by the generations on either side of
them, Marston says. “They’re in their primary earning years and
can’t get the Boomer generation out of the way so that the Xers
can assume roles of leadership which will allow them to earn
more.” Indeed, Americans are working later in life than ever
before.

And then there the are the kids coming up from behind. “Gen Xers
see that their future will be dominated by this next generation
who, per Gen X, have had it too easy. … Yes, the economy stunk
from 2008 to 2010, but millennials moved back home or
continued going to school. Few of them… delivered pizzas to make
ends meet during those tough times. [Gen X] thinks they got off
easy.”

Unfortunately, the intergenerational tension (and age

discrimination) is likely only to get worse as people work later and
later in life and the range of ages in the office only gets wider.

“Generational tensions clearly foster more discrimination, and vice

versa,” North adds. “The main difference the perception of
generational tension appears to be greater than at any point in
recent memory. Age discrimination charges have steadily risen as
older adults remain in the workforce longer than ever. On the
younger side, unemployment rates are uncomfortably high. It’s
created a unique climate of age discrimination and generational
tension that clearly needs to be resolved.”