How are Gen X planning to spend their time in retirement?

So people between the ages of 40 and 59.

• what is you social group about?
• what is your current age demographic?
• is it a mixed group or predominantly female or male?

I’m curious to know why you ask how Gen X plans to spend its retirement. With the younger end they could be looking at another 30 years of work.

Assuming you want to attract younger people to the group now, isn’t the question how do they spend their leisure time now?

Are you saying that your social group current has no website or social media presence? How do people learn of your existence?

Why do you think you need to be ‘tech savvy’, and what does that means to you?

My children are in this group. Very tech savvy, very sociable and some of them like sport as well. Most of their social life is going to each other’s houses, eating and drinking and going on camping trips with their friends . Same as us, really but they travel a bit further and are a bit more adventurous. They work pretty hard but they have mostly paid off their houses or are well on the way unlike the next generation who, poor so and sos, can’t afford houses.

DD is Gen X and doesn’t think she will be able to retire before she is 70.

Presumably they will want the same.e as us?

I'm not sure what you think will be different and why you want to ponder this.

What is your volunteer role?

Imarocker

DD is Gen X and doesn’t think she will be able to retire before she is 70.

Yes the pension age is forever being pushed forwards. We were really lucky to be of a generation who could retire in their mid sixties. Pretty soon people will have to work whilst suffering age related problems in order to pay the bills, or die before they can claim their pension.
In this respect boomers now in their late sixties to mid seventies really are better off.

I’m a Boomer & won’t get my state pension until in 67.
So no retirement for me yet

From my experience Gen X are much less 'clubbable' than those older than them. In other words, much less interested in social groups than in action groups (with a small 'a')

Am example: For the last 45 years I have been an acive member of my county archaeological society. I have filled most roles on the committee.

When I joinedthe society, we essentially ran a monthly lecture series, arranged visits to archaeological sites in the summer, and had other activties based on us being visiters, watchers, listeners.

Over the years as members died, our numbers dropped and we were not recruiting from Gen X, then someone, boomer generation, joined, who was interested in doing archaeology, as a result we now have a very active archaeological fieldwork group and the society is thriving again. Most committee members are now the younger generation.

So if you stay just a social group, you will be come passe, and fade, start doing things and you may start recruiting.

leapyearnanYour not a baby boomer .
Those born between 1946-1964 are classed as such.
I would hope that the majority of generation x are tech savvy already.

petra

*leapyearnan*Your not a baby boomer .
Those born between 1946-1964 are classed as such.
I would hope that the majority of generation x are tech savvy already.

leapyearman has not said when s/he was born - so how do you know s/he's not a baby boomer?

argymargy

petra

leapyearnanYour not a baby boomer .
Those born between 1946-1964 are classed as such.
I would hope that the majority of generation x are tech savvy already.

leapyearman has not said when s/he was born - so how do you know s/he's not a baby boomer?

Apologies to Leapyearnan💐

argymargy

petra

leapyearnanYour not a baby boomer .
Those born between 1946-1964 are classed as such.
I would hope that the majority of generation x are tech savvy already.

leapyearman has not said when s/he was born - so how do you know s/he's not a baby boomer?

leapyearnan says that she is a baby boomer in the first line of her OP 🤷‍♀️

Do people really think that our year of birth is something that determines our interests, outlook and behaviour? I am a ‘boomer’ but there is a huge difference in experience between me (born 1959) and someone born just after the war in 1945. I am likely to have far more in common with someone born in 1965 than in 1945.

Also, these groupings take no account of sex, geographical differences, social class, education or basic personality traits.

It would be helpful if the OP could say a bit more about what she is looking for in our responses, and why she is using marketing classifications to differentiate between people.

If you post your question on Mumsnet you might be more likely to get an answer from Gen X themselves.

@monica I think you have it spot on, although I have never heard it described as wanting active rather than purely social before. I am gen X that is exactly me and would describe many others my age.

Since many of the forty plus people in my life ( some of them my children) had their children much later in their life, the answer maybe ...parenting in retirement...teens being picked up and dropped off events, undergraduates needing financial support, a shoulder for the broken - hearted, a painting weekend at son's/daughter's first flat, etc etc

What dos the group do that you feel is specific to 'boomers', OP?

If I were looking for a new group to join, I would be very put off if I were bing judged by my DOB. Age group can make a difference - I joined the WI at 28, as a neighbour invited me. We had just moved house and I thought it would be a good way to met people. Everyone else was in their 60s and 70s, and I left. I worked full-time and they were all retired, so I couldn't join in a lot of the activities, and the focus of their lives was very different from mine. That was fairly extreme, though.

Other than that though, the groups I belong to are multi-generational, and that is what I like about them. I don't want to only hear the voices of older women. I like groups that include men and people of all ages to get variety of experience and lifestyles.

I think that raising the pension age for women has made a big difference to social groups though. I retired at 57, and found that most groups were made up of people more than ten years older, as women of my age were still working. I went back to university for a while, to study a degree in a subject of interest amongst people from 21-70+, then rejoined the local social scene after Covid lockdowns ended.

A lot isn't so much about age, but availability. If you want to attract different age groups, I would drop the 'GenX/Boomer' nonsense, make the meetings accessible to people who work, stop charging annually, so people can drop out if they have grandchildren in the holidays and so on. You haven't said what you mean by 'tech savvy', but unless you are a spreadsheet appreciation society or a gaming group, you might look at things like using WhatsApp groups for communication (rather then email), as it's immediate, and setting up a FB (or similar) page where people can post relevant things for everyone to see I'm thinking of things like articles about the book you are reading if you are a book club, or links to relevant local events if you are a history society etc. No technical knowledge necessary, but using platforms that are free and readily available if you aren't doing so already (although most Boomers are more than au fait with that sort of thing).

My adult children are very active in their leisure time, running, cycling, fell walking. I think they will only stop when injury forces them to. I have no idea what will attract them at that point.
One of the choirs I sing in has an aging membership. It is hard to attract younger people, and without them, the choir will fold, in due course. We have probably only two members under 40 and only a few more who are still of working age; most are over 70. We have recently increased our social media presence, but like the OP, struggle to attract younger new members. However another choir I sing with in a university city has members of all ages including students and is thriving. Maybe like attracts like. If someone turns up and sees mainly older people they may think it is not for them.

I'm 64 this year, only work an average 10 hours a week due to back problems and arthritis. After a life time in childcare I'm exhausted and my body is wrecked. I'm hoping to retire later this year, fingers crossed. Thankfully DH wants to continue working and I have a small private pension
To be totally honest I have no interest in joining any social groups. I'm more than happy at home cooking, reading, gardening and walking my dog.
I think if Gen X have to work until 67 possibly later they will be exhausted by the time they retire, a bit like myself

Many gen x won't be retiring until 67 / 68 ....their private pensions not being as good and state pension kicking in later

Our children are Baby Boomers, GenX - our younger daughters are less likely to join groups than their boomer sisters who are settled into empty nests, managing their dad and his business.

Our GenX are busy with home, children, Church - no free time.

They're not remotely interested in WI type groups or really much of anything apart from making sure the children are fed, school runs (long distance here), meals cooked, laundry done, yards kept up - busy.

Free time is holidays and family.

Perhaps they're different to most, my answer doesn't apply?

As I said upthread, without knowing what this social club offers and whether it would appeal to Gen X, it’s impossible to say but with any club, the membership changes over time, People lose interest, move away, die. Those responsible for membership need to find ways to attract and retain new members.

I am part of a small team which runs a social club and allied activities. We have around 200 members although our activities are also open to non-members. The audience for our regular events comprise roughly two thirds members and two third non-members who often become members.

One of the most important things is to encourage younger members to take an active role in the running of the group/club including having a say in how things are managed and what activities are offered. I encountered this when I first joined the team as its youngest member, partly as a bid to encourage people closer to my my age to join. But it was quite a while before I was allowed to have any say in what we put on. There was a hard core of older committee members who were rigid to say the least, averse to any change to how things had been done for the past 40 years.

Membership database? Surely paper records and things scribbled on the backs of bus tickets and beer mats are fine. Website? No, we don’t want any of that new fangled stuff. Social media. What’s that? Better advertising, marketing, sponsorship? All were rejected as first but bit by bit they came around (or left the committee) and the membership (and the club's income) started to clmb.

One thing to consider is when these activities take place. We used to operate indoors at weekends at times when younger people with children wanted to be outdoors with their families. It was only when we started to put on more early evening and outdoor activities and make children welcome that we started to attract a younger membership.

Our GenX daughters have an interest in gardening. I think many people may not have time to work long hours in the garden at their ages (may just pay for mowing/ general cleanup).

Perhaps garden lectures/ activities?

Im gen x (born 1967) class myself as 'semi' retired. Working part time in the nhs, cashed in my works pensions and now doing some pet caring work and also voluntary work for various charities. I also have a son and granddaughter plus friends I like to meet up with as and when possible.
I've looked at U3a and also a book club as I am an avid reader. Neither worked for me as they seemed quite rigid in their meeting. The third weds in the month etc doesn't really work for me as I also have numerous hospital appointments due to a disability I have.
A more fluid meet up schedule would attract me and many of my contemporaries as many people have a lot of commitments. Shift work and weekend working can also impact on arrangements.
Some people still seem to think 'work' is just Mon to fri 9-5 and any time outside that is free!