What is a Baby Boomer?

A baby boomer is a term used to describe the generation of people born between 1946 and 1964. The year gap has been settled for by most researchers and demographers, although some people still argue that it should range from the early 1940s to early 1960s. The number of babies born “boomed’ after World War II and continued to rise up to the mid 1960s when it gradually started dropping. The baby boomers make up a large proportion of the world’s population, especially in the developed countries. In the America, the baby boomers take up to approximately 20% of the total population. The number of babies born in the United States during the baby boom is estimated to be 7.4 million. The baby boomers come after the "Silent Generation" of babies who were born between 1920 and 1940.

Why Was the Birth Rate So High Throughout the "Baby Boomer" Years?

The large population of Baby boomers in the developed country is attributed to many factors. The commonly recognized reason is the need for the homecoming World War II soldiers to put up families and to continue building the families they had left behind before going to war. The tendency of people getting married and bringing up a family at a younger age also contributed to the high population of the baby boomers.

Some of the researchers argued that the baby boom was a tactic the Americans applied to fight the communism during the Cold War. The birth rate was high with an aim to outnumber the communists. Many people also opted to have children after the postwar peace conferences unlike before, probably because they were pretty sure the future that awaits their babies was secure and peaceful. The economy was also promising and therefore most parents could comfortably support their families.

The Impact of Baby Boomers

One of the notable effects the baby boom had was the emergence and rapid growth of suburbs. Most families opted to move from the cities and settle in the outskirts, in a bid to escape the harsh city condition and to enjoy the friendly ambiance of the suburbs. At the time the baby boomers were being born, women were encouraged to lead their lives as housewives, to cook and babysit their babies. A career woman was not an ideal thing during the Baby Boom years.

The baby boomers are respected for the position they hold in the economy, despite most of them being in their retirement years. Most of the baby boomers are known to be wealthy and at some point, they held over 80% of the wealth in the UK. Their position in the economy is attributed their hard working and competitive traits. They are competitive and hardworking probably because of the stiff competitions they experienced during their birth years. The babies were so many and therefore they had to compete for generally everything.

Contrary to many peoples’ thinking, baby boomers are also major users of the internet, with an estimated 78% of the baby boomers using the internet frequently. Almost half of the boomers have joined social networks.