Gen X Crunched by Career & Kids
Posted On September 4, 2012
First there was the sandwich generation – the Boomers caught between caring for their growing kids and their aging parents. Now there’s Gen X-hausted, according to an Economist writer – Gen Xers who are crunched between maximizing their career peaks and caring for young children – an exhausting combination.
The median age for professional married couples, especially professional married men, to have their first children is creeping into the mid-30s (32 for married women, 34 for married men). That means many Gen Xers are caring for young, school-age children well into their 40s, the same age range when career and earning potential typically hit their peaks.
The poster-professional for the Gen X crunch is new Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer, who is expecting. The 37-year old Gen Xer near-future agenda includes childbirth, caring for a newborn, postnatal recovery, and turning around an ailing Fortune 500 company.