Editing Generation X (section)

==== United Kingdom ====

===== As children, adolescents and young adults =====

====== Political environment ======
The United Kingdom's [[Economic and Social Research Council]] described Generation X as "Thatcher's children" because the cohort grew up while [[Margaret Thatcher]] was Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990, "a time of social flux and transformation". Those born in the late 1960s and early 1970s grew up in a period of social unrest. While unemployment was low in the early 1970s, industrial and social unrest escalated. Strike action culminated in the "[[Winter of Discontent]]" in 1978–79, and [[the Troubles]] began to unfold in [[Northern Ireland]]. The turn to neoliberal policies introduced and maintained by consecutive conservative governments from 1979 to 1997 marked the end of the [[post-war consensus]].<ref name=":0" />

====== Education ======
The almost universal dismantling of the [[grammar school]] system in Great Britain during the 1960s and the 1970s meant that the vast majority of the cohort attended [[comprehensive school]]s. [[Compulsory education]] ended at the age of 16.<ref>{{cite book|last=Reitan|first=Earl Aaron|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7qaMqwGRE00C&pg=PA14|title=The Thatcher Revolution: Margaret Thatcher, John Major, Tony Blair, and the Transformation of Modern Britain, 1979–2001|year=2003|page=14|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=9780742522039 |access-date=11 April 2021|archive-date=3 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203080703/https://books.google.com/books?id=7qaMqwGRE00C&pg=PA14|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> As older members of the cohort reached the end of their mandatory schooling, levels of educational enrollment among older adolescents remained below much of the [[Western world]]. By the early 1980s, some 80% to 90% of school leavers in France and West Germany received [[vocational training]], compared with 40% in the United Kingdom. By the mid-1980s, over 80% of pupils in the United States and West Germany and over 90% in Japan stayed in education until the age of eighteen, compared with 33% of British pupils.<ref name="MacDowall2000">{{cite book|last=MacDowall|first=David|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eyK2MgEACAAJ|title=Britain in Close-up: An In-depth Study of Contemporary Britain|publisher=Longman|year=2000|access-date=11 April 2021|archive-date=3 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203080704/https://books.google.com/books?id=eyK2MgEACAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> There was, however, broadly a rise in education levels among this age range as Generation X passed through it.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bolton|first=Paul|date=27 November 2012|title=Education: Historical statistics|url=https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn04252/|access-date=10 April 2021|website=House of commons Library|archive-date=25 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210525002800/https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn04252/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1990, 25% of young people in England stayed in some kind of full-time education after the age of 18, this was an increase from 15% a decade earlier.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Coughlan|first=Sean|date=26 September 2019|title=The symbolic target of 50% at university reached|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/education-49841620|access-date=10 April 2021|archive-date=11 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411010003/https://www.bbc.com/news/education-49841620|url-status=live}}</ref> Later, the [[Further and Higher Education Act 1992]] and the liberalisation of higher education in the UK saw greater numbers of those born towards the tail-end of the generation gaining university places.<ref name=":0">{{cite news|date=11 March 2016|title=Thatcher's children: the lives of Generation X|publisher=Economic and Social Research Council|url=http://www.esrc.ac.uk/news-events-and-publications/news/news-items/thatcher-s-children-the-lives-of-generation-x/|url-status=dead|access-date=2 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160729024605/http://www.esrc.ac.uk/news-events-and-publications/news/news-items/thatcher-s-children-the-lives-of-generation-x/|archive-date=29 July 2016}}</ref>

====== Employment ======
The 1980s, when some of Generation X reached working age, was an era defined by high unemployment rates.<ref>{{Cite news|date=9 April 2013|title=The Thatcher years in statistics|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-22070491|access-date=10 April 2021|archive-date=11 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411010003/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-22070491|url-status=live}}</ref> This was particularly true of the youngest members of the working aged population. In 1984, 26% of 16 to 24 year olds were neither in full-time education or participating in the workforce.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Smith|first=Nicola|date=15 December 2009|title=1980s recession was worse for young people|url=https://leftfootforward.org/2009/12/1980s-recession-was-worse-for-young-people/|access-date=10 April 2021|website=Left Foot Forward|language=en-GB|archive-date=11 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411010004/https://leftfootforward.org/2009/12/1980s-recession-was-worse-for-young-people/|url-status=live}}</ref> However, this figure did decrease as the economic situation improved reaching 17% by 1993.<ref>{{Cite web|date=January 2010|title=Youth Unemployment: Déjà Vu?|url=https://dspace.stir.ac.uk/bitstream/1893/2117/1/SEDP-2010-04-Bell-Blanchflower%5B1%5D.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161012200101/https://dspace.stir.ac.uk/bitstream/1893/2117/1/SEDP-2010-04-Bell-Blanchflower%5B1%5D.pdf |archive-date=12 October 2016 |url-status=live|website=University of Sterling}}</ref>

===== In midlife =====
Generation X were far more likely to have children out of wedlock than their parents. The number of babies being born to unmarried parents in [[England and Wales]] rose from 11% in 1979, a quarter in 1998, 40% by 2002 and almost half in 2012. They were also significantly more likely to have children later in life than their predecessors. The average age of a mother giving birth rose from 27 in 1982 to 30 in 2012. That year saw 29,994 children born to mothers over the age 40, an increase of 360% from 2002.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Duggan|first=Oliver|date=11 July 2013|title=Half of all babies born out of wedlock|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/half-of-all-babies-born-out-of-wedlock-8703059.html|access-date=3 August 2021|website=The Independent|language=en|archive-date=3 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203080709/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/half-of-all-babies-born-out-of-wedlock-8703059.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

A 2016 study of over 2,500 British office workers conducted by [[Workfront]] found that survey respondents of all ages selected those from Generation X as the hardest-working employees and members of the workforce (chosen by 60%).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.workfront.com/sites/default/files/2019-04/uk-state-of-work-report-nonmarketing.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402170516/https://www.workfront.com/sites/default/files/2019-04/uk-state-of-work-report-nonmarketing.pdf |archive-date=2 April 2019 |url-status=live |title=The UK State of Work Report |date=2016 |publisher=Workfront |access-date=22 July 2021 }}</ref> Gen X was also ranked highest among fellow workers for having the strongest [[work ethic]] (chosen by 59.5%), being the most helpful (55.4%), the most skilled (54.5%), and the best troubleshooters/problem-solvers (41.6%).<ref>{{cite news|last1=Leeming|first1=Robert|date=19 February 2016|title=Generation X-ers found to be the best workers in the UK|publisher=HR Review|url=http://www.hrreview.co.uk/hr-news/strategy-news/generation-x-ers-are-found-to-be-the-best-workers-in-the-uk/61386|access-date=19 June 2016|archive-date=11 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160811133219/http://www.hrreview.co.uk/hr-news/strategy-news/generation-x-ers-are-found-to-be-the-best-workers-in-the-uk/61386|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Frith|first1=Bek|date=23 February 2016|title=Are generation X the UK's hardest workers?|magazine=HR Magazine|url=http://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/article-details/are-generation-x-the-uks-hardest-workers|access-date=19 June 2016|archive-date=31 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160531022748/http://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/article-details/are-generation-x-the-uks-hardest-workers|url-status=live}}</ref>

===== Political evolution =====
[[Ipsos MORI]] reports that at the [[1987 United Kingdom general election|1987]] and [[1992 United Kingdom general election|1992]] general elections, the first [[List of United Kingdom general elections|United Kingdom general elections]] where significant numbers of Generation X members could vote, a plurality of 18 to 24 year olds opted for the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] by a small margin. The polling organisation's figures suggest that in 1987, 39% of that age group voted Labour, 37% for the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservatives]] and 22% for the [[SDP–Liberal Alliance]]. Five years later, these numbers were fairly similar at 38% Labour, 35% Conservative and 19% [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrats]], a party by then formed from the previously mentioned alliance. Both these elections saw a fairly significant lead for the Conservatives in the popular vote among the general population.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|date=12 May 2010|title=How Britain Voted 1974 - 2010|url=https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/how-britain-voted-october-1974|website=Ipsos Mori|access-date=2 August 2021|archive-date=2 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210802140820/https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/how-britain-voted-october-1974|url-status=live}}</ref>

At the 1997 General election where Labour won a large majority of seats and a comfortable lead in the popular vote, research suggests that voters under the age of 35 were more likely to vote Labour if they turned out than the wider electorate but significantly less likely to vote than in 1992. Analysts suggested this may have been due to fewer differences in policies between the major parties and young people having less of a sense of affiliation with particular political parties than older generations.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web|last=Foster|first=Katie|date=23 September 2016|title=Turnout gap between young and old voters could be Tony Blair's fault|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/tony-blair-turnout-gap-young-old-general-elections-1997-voters-2015-election-new-labour-a7326131.html|access-date=2 August 2021|website=The Independent|language=en|archive-date=2 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210802140818/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/tony-blair-turnout-gap-young-old-general-elections-1997-voters-2015-election-new-labour-a7326131.html|url-status=live}}</ref> A similar trend continued at the [[2001 United Kingdom general election|2001]] and [[2005 United Kingdom general election|2005]] general elections as turnout dropped further among both the relatively young and the wider public.<ref name=":68">{{Cite web|title=Voter turnout in the UK 1918-2019|url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/1050929/voter-turnout-in-the-uk/|access-date=19 June 2021|website=Statista|language=en|archive-date=4 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210504175331/https://www.statista.com/statistics/1050929/voter-turnout-in-the-uk/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|date=December 2018|title=Increasing Youth Voter Turnout|url=https://www.lse.ac.uk/PBS/assets/documents/Increasing-Youth-Voter-Turnout.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210607110218/https://www.lse.ac.uk/PBS/assets/documents/Increasing-Youth-Voter-Turnout.pdf |archive-date=7 June 2021 |url-status=live|journal=London School of Economics and Political Science}}</ref>

Voter turnout across the electorate began to recover from a 2001 low until the [[2017 United Kingdom general election|2017 general election]].<ref name=":68" /> Generation X also became more likely to vote as they entered the midlife age demographics. Polling suggests a plurality of their age group backed the Conservatives in [[2010 United Kingdom general election|2010]] and [[2015 United Kingdom general election|2015]] but less overwhelming than much of the older generation.<ref>{{Cite web|date=21 May 2010|title=How Britain Voted in 2010|url=https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/how-britain-voted-2010|access-date=2 August 2021|archive-date=4 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104013908/https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/how-britain-voted-2010|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Kellner|first=Peter|date=8 June 2015|title=General election 2015: how Britain really voted|url=https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2015/06/08/general-election-2015-how-britain-really-voted|access-date=2 August 2021|website=yougov.co.uk|language=en-gb|archive-date=2 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210802140818/https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2015/06/08/general-election-2015-how-britain-really-voted|url-status=live}}</ref> At the [[2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum|2016 EU membership referendum]] and [[2017 United Kingdom general election|2017 general election]], Generation X was split with younger members appearing to back remain and Labour and older members tending towards Leave and Conservative in a British electorate more polarised by age than ever before.<ref>{{Cite web|date=5 September 2016|title=How Britain voted in the 2016 EU referendum|url=https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/how-britain-voted-2016-eu-referendum|website=Ipsos MORI|access-date=2 August 2021|archive-date=29 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210629014501/https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/how-britain-voted-2016-eu-referendum|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Curtis|first=Chris|date=13 June 2017|title=How Britain voted at the 2017 general election|url=https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2017/06/13/how-britain-voted-2017-general-election|access-date=2 August 2021|website=yougov.co.uk|language=en-gb|archive-date=2 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210802140820/https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2017/06/13/how-britain-voted-2017-general-election|url-status=live}}</ref> At the 2019 general election, voting trends continued to be heavily divided by age but a plurality<!-- Plurality means the largest minority --> of younger as well as older generation X members (then 39 to 55 year olds) voted Conservative.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Curtis|first=Chris|date=17 December 2019|title=How Britain voted in the 2019 general election|url=https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2019/12/17/how-britain-voted-2019-general-election|access-date=2 August 2021|website=yougov.co.uk|language=en-gb|archive-date=2 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210802070549/https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2019/12/17/how-britain-voted-2019-general-election|url-status=live}}</ref>[[File:BerlinWall-BrandenburgGate.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|The [[fall of the Berlin Wall]] in 1989 was a landmark event in Generation X's formative years.|297x297px]]