ABSTRACT
The landscape of the baby-boom generation has typically been viewed through a wide-angle lens of sociodemographic shifts in the workplace and family roles. Indeed, as other chapters in this volume will attest, the Baby Boom differs from other generations in their educational attainment, workplace opportunities, and timing as well as the size of families. Although such descriptive information is helpful in defining this generation, we believe that much can be learned by taking a more close-up portrait of Baby Boomers themselves. There are three major aims of this chapter. First, we provide a detailed look at the daily experiences of Baby Boomers. In particular we are interested in the frequency and types of daily stressors Baby Boomers face and the meaning Boomers ascribe to such stressors. Second, we explore possible differences among the Baby Boomers based on when they were born. We contend that historical factors may have influenced the sociodemographic profile of individuals born early in the Baby Boom differently than individuals born later. In this chapter we consider how birth year (i.e., early vs. late entry year into the Baby Boom) may translate into potential historic effects (i.e., educational opportunities) and family life-course differences (i.e., having young children in the home). Third, we assess how such sociodemographic differences within the Baby Boom are associated with exposure and reactivity to daily stressors.
