THE FUSE

As the “middle child” of generations, it's not a huge surprise that Gen X has relationship challenges. Gen Xers’ formative years were rife with sweeping political, social, cultural, and financial changes. They were raised in the 1970s and '80s, a time of dramatic shifts in gender equity (e.g., greater access to higher education, the Pill, and sexual harassment protections), and watched their parents suffer through multiple economic crises. In addition, their mothers entered the full-time workforce at unprecedented rates, and their fathers faced a new reality: They could no longer reliably be the sole breadwinner.