People Born In The 50s, 60s, 70s & 80s Have Very Different Ideas Of What’s Hard About Life
Anelo / Shutterstock Life is difficult for everyone, but what any one person thinks makes it hard might change depending on the decade they were born in. People who grew up in the 50s might say the worst part of their day-to-day was managing to keep a roof over their heads and raise a family, while those born in the 80s may think it was surviving being overworked while trying to maintain a social life. Same planet, very different struggles.
People born in the 1950s, 60s, 70s, and 80s all have their own ideas of what's hard about life.
The circumstances people born between 1950 and 1980 experienced as kids shape how they see the world today. And when it comes to what's actually difficult about life, these four very different decades mean they definitely don't see eye to eye.
People born in the 1950s think keeping your life well-managed was extremely difficult.
A lot of life's biggest challenges for people born in the 50s come down to having everything together. It was always one thing after the other: raising kids, holding down a job, paying bills, putting food on the table, repeat. Adult life is a constant juggling act, and there's no choice but to keep going because other people are depending on them.
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They put a lot of stock in consistency and security, so anything that throws their routine off can feel like a pretty big deal. Their attitude is often that life isn't supposed to be easy, and sometimes there's no choice but to roll up their sleeves, deal with it, and get on with their day.
People born in the 1960s struggle to balance responsibility and happiness.
1960s babies have spent years and years trying to build lives that feel comfortable. However, they also highly value having some freedom to enjoy themselves. While they have problems taking care of business, it can be tough to think about how long they've spent putting others first.
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They're so used to putting their wants and needs on the back burner that it may be difficult for them to put aside time for their interests. Taking a walk or reading a book isn't quite as nice when they can't stop thinking about all the work that needs to get done.
People born in the 1970s are trying to do it all without completely losing themselves in the process.
Being overly independent is totally normal for those who grew up in the 70s. However, dealing with the pressures of everyday life can still wear them down. There's something especially frustrating about working so hard for years and still feeling like they never have enough time or money to appreciate the payoff.
And that's because the general idea of what a good and successful life looks like has changed drastically since they were young. Sure, they're open to new tricks and hacks that make life easier, but taking the time to learn and adapt on top of everything else can get pretty exhausting.
People born in the 1980s are still struggling to get ahead and find the stability they were promised.
Even when 80s babies are doing everything they're supposed to, they never feel like they can truly catch up. Expensive housing. Unpredictable job markets. Rising cost of living. And on top of that, the pressure to somehow also have a fulfilling career and a meaningful personal life all at the same time. Whew!
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They want stability and comfort just as much as anyone else, but they're also beginning to question why getting there seems to require so much effort. It's not that they want everything handed to them. They just want to know that their goals are actually within reach.
Kayla Asbach is a writer with a bachelor's degree from the University of Central Florida. She covers relationships, psychology, self-help, pop culture, and human interest topics.
