1. Economic Snapshot: Baby Boomers vs Millennials
Millennials (born 1981–1996) today hold a higher inflation-adjusted net worth than Baby Boomers did at the same age—approximately US $84,941 vs. $58,101, a 46% difference.[^turn0search1] Yet despite these numbers, their real purchasing power feels weaker, thanks to soaring housing prices, student debt, and high rental costs. This leaves Millennials less likely to own homes, more likely to live at or return to their parents’ houses, and buried deeper in loans.
2. Fact or Feeling: Perceptions vs Reality
Surveys repeatedly show that Millennials believe their life quality is worse than their parents’, even when the financial data is more complex. About 69% feel their generation is under exceptional financial pressure, and 60% say financial stability seems barely attainable.[^turn0search1] Digital overload—smartphones, social media, constant world news—fuels anxiety, loneliness, and comparison fatigue. Social networks perpetuate a mental strobe light, entirely absent for Boomers.
Many Millennials report having only 3–4 trusted confidants—a stark contrast to the broader social support many of their parents enjoyed.
3. Back then: What did Boomers really have?
📺 Media Diet: Boomers relied on radio and scheduled television. News arrived in digestible doses—no 24/7 updates, no algorithmic fear loops. This extended mental rest periods that Millennials rarely experience.
💼 Work & Boundaries: Most enjoyed a work — home divide. Employment was stable, the day usually ended at 5 p.m. Hybrid or remote work wasn’t even a concept. Time off meant actual separation.
🌱 Real Community: Friendships, neighbours, local networks built tangible connection. Their world was local, stable, human—not curated through screens.
4. What was actually better?
| Category | Baby Boomer Generation | Millennials |
| Media & News | Occasional, limited, offline | Constant overload, global, digital omnipresence |
| Financial Situation | Less debt, earlier wealth accumulation | Higher net worth now—but weaker purchasing power & property ownership |
| Burnout & Stress | Defined routines, clear boundaries | Early burnout, perpetual accessibility |
| Social Support | More stable, face-to-face connections | Fewer close relationships, more isolation |
5. Mental Health & Burnout (Crunch Data)
A staggering 84% of Millennials report workplace burnout in their current roles—making them the generation most frequently burned out, according to 2025 data.[^turn0search11] In turn, nearly 53% have actually missed work due to it, and 78% say it prevents them from socialising. Many cite perfectionist workplace demands, long hours, and workaholism, with about 54% juggling multiple jobs or side hustles
6. Care Work: The Hidden Economy of Exhaustion
• In the EU‑28, employed women spend 3.9 hours daily on unpaid care, compared to 2.6 hours for men.[^turn0search6]
• Globally, women work 2.5 times more unpaid hours than men.[^turn0search5][^turn0search9]
• This unpaid labour is valued at 6.6% of global GDP—almost triple men’s contribution (~2.4%).
Women face a “second shift”: paid work followed by hours of domestic labour. In Germany alone, women perform 44.3% more unpaid work than men, around 79 minutes extra per day.
7. Historical Gender Dependency: A Reminder
Until 1957, married women in Germany needed their husband’s signature to open a bank account or sign a work contract. Full legal equality only came with the 1977 Family Law Reform.[^turn0search24] In contrast, Polish women had voting rights from 1918, and by 1921 were legally empowered to own and manage property independently—though traditions like dowry systems still imposed constraints.
So, what needs to change?
1. Reframe work culture—introduce genuine flexibility to match human (not algorithmic) rhythms.
2. Recognise and redistribute care labour—it’s real economy, not invisible burden.
3. End performance as proof of existence—a digital presence shouldn’t determine one’s legitimacy.
4. Close the structural inequality gap—protect mental health, pension access, and everyday rest.
🖊️ Final Thought, from Frau Mutter Renate :
“Our parents had fewer options—but more support. We have more opportunities—but fewer safety nets.
We juggle careers, care—or even second and third jobs—while living in a world where not showing up online means you might as well not exist.
If you aren’t performing enough, you’re invisible. And yet we pay with our health, with our sanity, and with the bleak certainty that pensions may never come.
Maybe it’s not about doing more. Maybe it’s about doing different. Like Gen Z says: it’s time to take back our time.”
https://www.oecd.org/en/topics/gender-equality-and-work.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com: Was it really better in the past?
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