These are the children of the early baby boomers, the ones whom were born beginning in the late 60's going until about 1980. They came of age during the 1980's, when the excesses of the 1960's were becoming very evident, especially with the rise of AIDS. Baby boomers especially have tried to portray this as a generation of slackers; nihilists with a very negative view of the future. A more fair assessment indicates that Gen Xer's have a need to redefine social norms and are more flexible when it comes to traditional values and attitudes about nationalism and religion. The Catholic Church continues to lose membership by the day as these types of institutions are increasingly questioned. Society is becoming more urbanized; people are rejecting traditional rural lifestyles for the city, with its more liberal dynamic. This is part of globalization, whose primary dynamic is the reduction of space and distance as we know it.

But this globalization has also brought plenty of instability in employment, as Gen Xer's have had to deal with outsourcing; therefore people rarely stay in one job or one career over entire lifetimes. Flexibility is the key word for this generation is most respects. Right now, this generation is in their thirties, some are settling down, having kids, and going into middle management at their jobs.