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Someone mentioned that a lot of people died in their 50 working the factories in the 60's.
Was it true that it was considered,Unmanly to go the Doctor and quit smoking in the 60's?
Of my relatives that were adults in that time frame about half the men smoked, half didn't. I can't really say about the doctor, but even today how many men in their 50's see a doctor every year or two and get a basic physical that includes prostate screening, colonoscopy every 5-10, etc.
While the standard of living for millenials is much better now than that of the Boomers when they were of the same age range, the job market was much more friendly to them. Not only that, Boomers were afforded opportunities to get into the middle class. I could only imagine how things were much easier for them.
I don't know if I am a boomer or not, but I was in my 20's in the late 80's. The job market was nonexistent for people with liberal arts degrees. I waited tables, then went to grad school. In the early 90's I got my first real job. Pay was horrific, but at least it was full-time with benefits. It took me about two months and a major relocation to find that job, which I really hated. I had to live with a roommate and had trouble paying for groceries. By the time I worked my way up to a job that I could stand, which paid a wage I could buy food with, I was in my late 30's.
My parents are definitely boomers, and I think overall things were much harder for them. In their early twenties they already had 2 children. Luckily my dad survived his first job - in Vietnam. They both worked their way through school while we were little, and we were so poor that food was an issue at times. They had one car that only sometimes worked. No credit, no house. They gradually worked their way up to middle class, and although neither was ever unemployed, they worked two jobs at times and were constantly stressed about bills. We suffered bankruptcies and foreclosures at various points. Today they are both quite comfortable, but it comes toward the end of an incredible number of years of extremely hard work.
I think it has been much easier for me, if only because I had children later in life, and was able to go to school right after high school. My parents paid for it, while their parents didn't pay for their education. I know the economy is not great right now, but I think overall we are all living so much better than our parents did.
I don't know if I am a boomer or not, but I was in my 20's in the late 80's. The job market was nonexistent for people with liberal arts degrees. I waited tables, then went to grad school. In the early 90's I got my first real job. Pay was horrific, but at least it was full-time with benefits. It took me about two months and a major relocation to find that job, which I really hated. I had to live with a roommate and had trouble paying for groceries. By the time I worked my way up to a job that I could stand, which paid a wage I could buy food with, I was in my late 30's.
My parents are definitely boomers, and I think overall things were much harder for them. In their early twenties they already had 2 children. Luckily my dad survived his first job - in Vietnam. They both worked their way through school while we were little, and we were so poor that food was an issue at times. They had one car that only sometimes worked. No credit, no house. They gradually worked their way up to middle class, and although neither was ever unemployed, they worked two jobs at times and were constantly stressed about bills. We suffered bankruptcies and foreclosures at various points. Today they are both quite comfortable, but it comes toward the end of an incredible number of years of extremely hard work.
I think it has been much easier for me, if only because I had children later in life, and was able to go to school right after high school. My parents paid for it, while their parents didn't pay for their education. I know the economy is not great right now, but I think overall we are all living so much better than our parents did.
Whether boomers had easy times getting jobs or not - from my opinion, I think you all did have a much easier time OVERALL - the most important thing is your cost of living was low. Yes, I get wages were lower too, but there are far more expenses today that cost a lot more, and inflation has risen faster than wage
Besides what folks such as parried mentioned about the job market, they'll also be the last generation to benefit from SS and Medicare before the till empties out.
Whether boomers had easy times getting jobs or not - from my opinion, I think you all did have a much easier time OVERALL - the most important thing is your cost of living was low. Yes, I get wages were lower too, but there are far more expenses today that cost a lot more, and inflation has risen faster than wage
Most of those "expenses" today are wants, not needs. Don't talk to me about inflation, you didn't live through the 70's. Inflation today is nothing. It's actually quite reasonable and where it should be for a healthy economy.
Whether boomers had easy times getting jobs or not - from my opinion, I think you all did have a much easier time OVERALL - the most important thing is your cost of living was low. Yes, I get wages were lower too, but there are far more expenses today that cost a lot more, and inflation has risen faster than wage
I can think of a few expenses they didn't have: a cell phone bill, a cable bill, Netflix/Hulu Plus, video games, high speed Internet, flat screen plasma TVs...
You do have to admit, we pay for a lot more garbage than past generations. If we lived like the Boomer generation did in the 60s and 70s, I think most people could get by on $12-$14/hr.
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