21 Hard-Hitting Reasons Boomers Had It Rougher Than Millennials

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According to the Federal Reserve, baby boomers own 52.8% of all wealth in the U.S., while millennials own 5.7%. More often than not, Baby Boomers are in the crosshairs of generational debate—usually because of their struggles (or lack thereof) compared to Millennials and Gen Z. Every generation has its challenges.

Yet, Boomers had to withstand and overcome many significant hardships that helped to create the world we all live in today. Here are 21 reasons Baby Boomers had a more demanding path through life than Millennials and Gen Z.

Sky-High Mortgage Rates

Hard-Hitting Reasons Boomers Had It Rougher Than Millennials — Image Credit: vadarsystems/Flickr

What would you do about mortgages if your mortgage rates rose to 18% in the 1980s? This was the norm for Boomers. The astronomical price made it hard to achieve homeownership at the time compared to the historically low rates we see today, which often sit around 5%.

Weathering Multiple Recessions

Between 1973 and 1978, Boomers experienced a recession along with three crises. Their early careers were defined by layoffs, stagnant wages, dwindling job opportunities, soaring unemployment during these economic downturns, and painful declines afterward.

The Vietnam War Draft

For many male Boomers, the natural and terrifying prospect of being drafted into the Vietnam War was an overwhelming reality. Because of the emotional, physical, and social consequences for those who served and those who didn’t, their stories changed countless lives.

Cold War Tensions

Boomers lived under the shadow of the Cold War, always afraid of nuclear war. They grew up with perpetual fear of catastrophic destruction from a daily diet of Cold War rhetoric and duck-and-cover drills in school.

Civil Rights Struggles

Early Boomers were a generation that came of age during an era of great social upheaval, while the Civil Rights movement opened the door to equality. They were also among the many who took part in often dangerous protests that included police brutality and violent opposition.

Stagflation in the 1970s

Boomers suffered from an economy that grew very little and experienced high inflation, called stagflation. Tolls from this economic nightmare pushed the price of essential goods into the stratosphere, and it became even more challenging to keep up.

Lack of Family Leave Policies

Unlike today’s parental leave policies, boomers were given little to no support to achieve a balance between work and family. Child care was impossible for many working parents, and career goals had to be given up.

Hazardous Work Environments

Working conditions were hazardous before Boomers started contending with modern workplace protections. Some spent long days in physically arduous jobs, often at the risk of their health, in construction factories or agriculture.

Limited Healthcare Advancements

Boomers were kids in an era where many of today’s medical advances didn’t exist. For many, diseases that are now preventable or treatable were often fatal, healthcare costs were high, and many went without needed care.

Strict Gender Roles

Rigid societal norms around gender roles defined career paths and personal lives. In many cases, the home was a place where women were essentially expected to stay, and men worked nonstop to become independent providers.

This prevented both genders from having equal personal freedom or career growth because they didn’t have flexibility.

Limited Parenting Resources

They didn’t have online forums, parenting help wasn’t available, and there were no modern childcare centers. The pressure on families was immense, and the support available was limited. At best, guesswork or instincts were often left to raise children.

Higher Smoking Rates

In the mid-1960s, the United States smoking rates peaked at around 45 percent for adults. Smoking was widespread among Boomers, and their long legacy health problems and preventable, early deaths are now unacceptable.

Scarce Mental Health Support

There was practically no mental health awareness during much of the Boomer era. Mental health struggles were deeply stigmatized, and treatment resources were scarce and, all too often, ineffective.

Lack of Information Access

Information for Boomers came from libraries, newspapers, and TV programming. Research and learning were time-consuming and challenging without the Internet or search engines.

Costly Long-Distance Communication

Staying in touch across distances wasn’t as simple as “hopping on a Zoom call.” Communicating with loved ones on long-distance phone rates was too expensive.

Travel Was a Luxury

Airfare was much more expensive than today, and incomes were much lower, so Boomers didn’t get to explore the world. Keeping in touch with the international realm was difficult, and little traveling occurred to widen the horizons.

Lower Social Mobility

Due to more economic constraints and fewer education opportunities, boomers faced limited economic ascendance opportunities. This problem was exacerbated by limited access to scholarships or financial aid.

Higher Crime Rates

Crime rates spiked during the 1970s and 1980s, especially in cities. Without modern advancements in law enforcement technologies or community safety initiatives, many Boomers faced significant day-to-day dangers.

Few Consumer Goods & Convenience Items

For Boomers, daily life lacked the conveniences we often take for granted today, from diverse food options to essential household appliances. Tasks that now require minimal effort demanded far more time.

Entertainment Options Were Limited

There were few TV channels, no internet, and fewer recreational facilities for Boomers. Almost always, to relax after a long day, there was little entertainment. If there were, it would often require creativity or effort.

Rigid Social Norms

Boomers came of age when societal expectations were stricter, and various lifestyles were not accepted. Deviations from these norms were often met with severe judgment, creating pressures to conform.

Some Boomers navigated all of these challenges, and others did not, but all had plenty of challenges. They failed to end World War I in Europe, endured economic uncertainty, rigid gender roles, and lack of access to healthcare and mental health resources, and their struggles formed many of the freedoms and progress made in this country today.

Recognizing these experiences creates a wider diversity between generations and leads us to build bridges rather than deepen divides. I wonder if Boomers had it worse than Millennials. Please leave your thoughts in the comments.

Disclaimer – This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.