The Christian Imagination

After the Baby Boomers: How Twenty- and Thirty-Somethings Are Shaping the Future of American Religion, a book by Princetown sociologist Robert Wuthnow, explores how today’s generation, labeled Generation Y, compares with the Baby Boomer generation. It is complete with statistics and analysis.

According to Wuthnow, today’s generation is “spending more time in school, remaining financially independent on their parents longer, marrying later in life, having kids later (and fewer of them) and changing jobs more often.” The post on Reveries.com further states:

One upside of these differences is that, because of this “extended adolescence … divorce is less common.” He says they see marriage more as a “capstone” than a “starting” event. He also says that this slower path to adulthood gives them “more of a chance to finish their education and … if they’re middle class, a chance to decide from experience what kind of career they want.” One downside, he says, is that they are sometimes “paralyzed” by “all these choices — whom to marry, what kind of education to get, what kind of career to pursue.” Another is a “dependency” on parents for such a long period of time.

I’m from Gen X, but I relate to all the above. I can say from experience that analysis paralysis when trying to make choices can be challenging, especially if we’re sold false life formulas about how to make life work. Some bloggers I’ve read really dislike these trends, such as the so-called ‘extended adolescence.’ Sounds like an interesting book.