Introduction
The generation born between 1946-1964 are referred to as the “baby boomers” which is often reduced to just “boomers”. At the end of World War 2 there was a dramatic increase in the number of births during this period as shown in the graph below.
The boom coincided with an increase in marriages and the most prominent group of mothers being educated [3] and economically stable. There are various theories to explain the increase in births, some suggesting that it is linked to families were being financially stable, partly due to woman retaining jobs after the war.
Due to the volume of births during this period this generation still retains significant influence both politically and in the economy.
Key events
In the UK the BBC launched the first television service, which lasted four hours every day with only 405 lines of definition, in November 1936. The first broadcast was the Coronation of King George VI in May 1937. Initially the service was limited due to the limited number of sets in operation, but this steadily grew over the years with the Coronation of the Queen in 1952 having 27 million viewers. The Baby Boomer generation were the first generation to grow up with television.
After the World War 2 there was political and military tension between the Soviet Union, which is Russia today, and the United States and its NATO allies [6]. The fear of communism spreading to the US and the ever-present fear of a nuclear attack led to widespread paranoia and hysteria.
1957 saw the launch of the first space satellite to orbit the earth by the Soviet Union. The success of the project was unexpected by the United States, which then triggered the Space Race. The Space Race was fueled by the Cold War and the feeling that the American education system had failed. America retaliated by investing deeply into teaching science, technology and mathematics leading to technological advances.
Characteristics
Baby Boomers have a strong work ethic which was bestowed on them by their parents whose generation is referred to as Silent Generation or the Traditionalists. The households that they grew up in were often very disciplined, which is carried into their work life. This also leads them to be effective in their decision-making skills due to the stoic practices of their parents.
Many of this generation are self-sufficient from growing up in an era where they had to work with what is available. They prefer to work in a goal centric way and like to see a task through to the end.
Growing up in an environment where there was competition for jobs due to the higher number of people applying, due to the Baby Boom, has made them competitive.
Workplaces from that time relied on structure, professionalism, and management hierarchy. This generation values a professional appearance, and to be visible to those above them in the hierarchy, equating authority with experience and length of service.
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