When we talk about 'the 70s generation,' what exactly do we mean? It's a question that pops up, and the answer isn't as simple as a single birth year. Instead, it often refers to those who have reached the age of 70, a milestone that, as it turns out, has become significantly more achievable and, well, longer than it used to be.
Think about it: the post-World War 2 baby boom generation, those born around 1946, hit the big 7-0 in 2016. These are the folks who've witnessed an incredible sweep of change – from the advent of cradle-to-grave welfare to seismic shifts in our economy, culture, and technology. They've truly lived through an era of unprecedented transformation.
It's fascinating to compare them with an earlier generation, those born during the baby boom following World War 1. These earlier individuals, turning 70 in the early 1990s, navigated the Great Depression and came of age during World War 2. Their experience of reaching 70 was quite different, often coinciding with economic downturns.
What's striking is how much survival rates have improved. Back in 1920, only about 58% of babies born in England and Wales made it to their 70th birthday. Fast forward to 1946, and that figure jumped to a much healthier 78%. This means more people are actually living to be 70, and not just surviving, but thriving.
Life expectancy at birth has also seen a remarkable climb. For women, it crossed the 70-year mark in 1950, while men reached that milestone in 1977. And once you've reached 70, you're likely to stick around longer too. Between 1990 and 2016, life expectancy at 70 increased by 39% for men and 21% for women. Men now can expect to live about 15.3 more years, and women around 17.3 more years, after turning 70. This improvement is partly thanks to fewer people smoking and better management of circulatory diseases.
Marriage and divorce patterns have also shifted. With more people surviving into their 70s, fewer women are widowed. This has contributed to an increase in the proportion of women who are married, and also a rise in divorcees. Interestingly, remarriage rates are quite high among those who have been divorced, which might explain why both the 'married' and 'divorced' categories are growing among this age group.
And for women, there's good news on the childbearing front. Today's 70-year-old women are far less likely to be childless than their predecessors. Childlessness halved from 21% to 9% between 1990 and 2015. This is a significant change, especially when you consider the hardships faced by earlier generations, like the Great Depression and the impact of World War 2 on potential partners. While fewer women are childless, they tend to have smaller families, with two or three children being more common than the larger families of the past.
So, when we talk about the '70s generation, we're really talking about a group of people who are living longer, healthier lives, experiencing different social dynamics, and benefiting from decades of societal progress. It's a generation that has seen immense change and continues to redefine what it means to reach and live through one's seventies.
