Baby Boomers Defined - How They Impact Society

Despite adequate measures of birth control taken by couples and the increased education about population control sent out to the public, the aftermath of the Second World War and the relief over having survived the worst of it, lead to many persons working harder at building their lives around the new times.

The result of this was definite and sustained economic growth and consequently, it was easier to have babies and take care of them due to the directionally proportional sense of confidence and prosperity enjoyed by the generation of young couples at the time.

Babies born after WW-II, specifically between '46 to '64 were thus, termed Baby Boomers (since population was booming in every corner of the world) and the United States was foremost in the strong economies of the world, thus helped boost that of other countries, which resulted in a greater than expected boost for different nations. This did slow down after 1958, but it had already done a world of good, literally, to the financial status of many nations.

Baby boomers were further defined by the increased opportunities that were given to them by way of having been born in a time that bespoke economic growth and sustained success for parents who could, in turn, pass these on to the children so education was never a matter of struggle. Most baby boomers, thus, hold college degrees - some even double degrees and these highly qualified people have the cream of jobs available to them. They are therefore able to raise their families better, keep them in comfort if not entirely in luxury and also tend to be go-getters, in the best sense of the term.

However, many baby boomers, due to the fact that they are over-achievers in a way, tend to be domineering and bossy individuals who overshadow (and like to do so, too) others around them, sometimes without being conscious they are doing so; this is largely because they got too much, too soon. But, for these kinds of baby boomers, there is also a large percentage of relatively peaceful, gracious and social beings in the world of business too.

A deeper look into the life of baby boomers will have us know there is still another category within this unique, highly successful and free-spirited generation i.e. that of shadow boomers - babies born between 1958 and 1963 (also known as echo boomers). Close to 79 million of baby boomers were born during this time and were generally known to exhibit certain ethnicity and political patterns in their outlook and behavior. This lead most of them to being very hot-headed and argumentative and a newer generation followed them, tagged as Gen 'x'.

Hard to tag, difficult to handle and with set tastes in habits, holding strong opinions and exhibiting characteristic behavior patterns of leaders and winners, the baby boomers is a generation of the 60's that conflicted with parents on issues of fashion, politics, fine arts and drug use with their defiant stance of shunning accepted social norms.

It was this generation that popularized the phrase of not trusting anyone over 30 and threw light on a generation gap existing between them (the now generation) and the older lot (the old-timers). Rebels, revolutionaries and radicals all came under the baby boomer category that a common representative of the baby boomer generation would be the punk rock-star youngster, speaking of free love and power besides those flaunting established moral ideas as archaic.

On the whole, the term baby boomers applies to a generation that firmly believes in doing what they like, achieving what they want and being assertive about their needs - thanks to a high sense of prosperity and security.

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Baby Boomers - How They Impact American Society

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Demographers defined "baby boom" as a rise in the number of births that began in 1946, just after the Second World War, reached a climax in 1957, and declined only in 1964. The enhanced economy is believed to be responsible for the rapid rise in the number of births during these years. Many people use the word "generation" with reference to this phenomemon, but demographers use the word "cohort," which means a group of people experiencing similar events within a specific time frame. The social changes of the times have a great impact on the lives of baby boomers.
Baby boomers are classified into two categories--early boomers who were born between 1946 and 1955 and late boomers who were born between 1956 and 1964. The last of the late boomers arrived when the Beatles were on their first tour in America and when the early boomers were around 18 years of age. Baby boomers are worth noting because of their large numbers. They literally filled educational institutions and labor markets.
Economic and Social Changes
According to studies, societal impacts have played a great role in shaping the characters of baby boomers, which, in turn, have reshaped the society. Baby boomers think differently. Due to their large numbers, their thoughts and beliefs dominated almost everything in society.
There is a great difference in the economic status of early and late boomers. The energetic job market and rise in economy enjoyed by the early boomers gave rise to a need for economic adjustment on the part of late boomers. This was basically due to the rapid growth of service sectors, instability in employment opportunities for the middle classes, changes in locations for workers, and adjustments in the career market.
Many baby boomers felt that economic security was elusive. Studies on the baby boomer generation revealed several differences among the incomes of Hispanic, Asian, African-American, and white Americans. For example, the black baby boomers were considered to be inferior to the whites, although all the baby boomers did extremely well in school.
Baby boomers were impacted by the ways in which society changed after the post war years. Ideas about gender, family, and sexuality underwent a great change. Concepts such parenthood, aging, retirement, labor, and so on were redefined. Even when they were old, baby boomers preferred to be active and involved. Many remained in the workforce to support their families.
Stereotype and Conservation Boomers
Both stereotype as well as conservative baby boomers such as Seth Grossman created a number of changes in society. The stereotype baby boomers protested on the streets while the conservative baby boomers protested through leaflets, student magazines, and public forums. Their activities might not have attracted public attention; however they achieved great success when they brought into force a referendum that caused the Duke students to withdraw from the National Student Association.
Conservative baby boomers might not match the usual image of a baby boomer, yet they comprise a powerful force in society. They did not make it to the headlines of the newspapers because they quietly attended class when the rest of their classmates were participating in a boycott. But in 1968, they were the ones who supported conservatives such as George Wallace.
About a third of the baby boomers served in the Vietnam war. A number of other boomers achieved a lot of success in a variety of other fields. Joyce Johnson, an African-American stereotype baby boomer, was famous as an activist in her college days. In Duke School, she fought for the good of her race. She was very much involved in the activities on the Duke Campus in the sixties. Johnson and Grossman contributed a great change in the society.
It is very important to understand baby boomers, especially since they are now advanced in years. They have had a profound impact on the economy of the country. Baby boomers have not only reshaped society, but have also had an impact on a number of people beside themselves.







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Baby Boomers Impact On Your Website Design

If you haven't thought of Baby Boomers in regard to website design, you may want to review your thinking.

The first of the Baby Boomer group are turning 60 and they are retiring. Why should you care? For starters, Baby Boomers are the largest segment of our population. That would be a lot of people to ignore. And their needs and desires are going to differ from those of the, up to now, very young computer users.

The first of the Baby Boomer group came to computers late. Although they might not have warmed to the idea of a computer driven world if left alone, a huge segment of this population has been forced into the computer world by their employers. Having gained some comfort with computers in the workplace, Baby Boomers have become much more likely to make computers a staple item in their homes.

Although I am aware of the dry statistics about Baby Boomers, much of what I am saying about Baby Boomers is from first hand observation.

I live near Palm Springs. The population in this area on a year round basis is an older population than that of most locals across the country. Many retirees have made this their full time home because of the climate. And, every fall and winter our population balloons when many retirees flow to our community in RV's for the season. Plus another large group who maintain winter homes here.

Why am I telling you all of this? Because maybe I know some things you may not have thought about. You see, I know, from first hand observation that these retirees, many of them Baby Boomers, bring lap top computers in those RV's. And many who have Winter homes here, have them equipped with desktop computers. I also know, that these Baby Boomers are not just sending email and jokes. They are surfing!

Baby Boomers are not sitting by the window watching the neighbors go by. These people are busy. They love to shop, they love to travel, they have money. Baby Boomers are going to spend some of their time online shopping and if you want your share of that market, you'd better be ready to meet their wants and needs in planning your website design.

That brings us to what this all has to do with website design. Bifocals! Reading glasses! Many people at or soon after 40 find that reading is not as easy as it used to be. Even many who have always had good vision and never before needed glasses find that reading can be difficult. Anyone designing a website should know that reading online is harder than just reading a book. Whether you do your own website design, or have a professional design your website, keep this in mind. Making your website an easy read is important for all your visitors. It is especially important as Baby Boomers become such a large part of your potential market.

The Baby Boomer phenomenon is just at it's beginning. The Baby Boomer segment of the population will span most of the next twenty years. The last of the Baby Boomer group will be 42 this year.

Consider the size of your fonts when designing your websites. Contrast is another important factor. I see many websites that not only have tiny fonts, but they are often in muted shades even a twenty year old would find a challenge.

Many elements of website design are important, when you consider the needs and the tastes of the group you are marketing to. Audio with no surfer control, flash, colors that are hard on the eyes, small fonts, lack of contrast between font color and background could all be a turn off.

Considering the following five factors could be important to the degree of success you have in your online business over the next few years.

1. Baby Boomers are surfing.

2. Baby Boomers like to spend money.

3. Baby Boomers have money.

4. Baby Boomers will have time in the coming years to surf and shop.

5. Baby Boomers as the years go by will be from the younger segment of this population and will have had more time and experience using computers and the internet.

Will Baby Boomers shop with you? Or, will they find another website that has implemented into their website design what these folks are looking for, and are comfortable with? Baby Boomers will be the largest segment of our population for most of the next twenty years. Make this a consideration when you plan your website design.

Illa Maden has been marketing online since 1999. learn more about web design and more about building profitable home based internet businesses