Why Relationships Matter

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Gen X inherited a relationship model built for a world that no longer existed—no one updated the rule book.

The struggle is structural not personal. Nearly identical patterns show up across couples who have never met.

The "do it all, have it all" expectations for Gen X left women burned out and the men isolated.

There is no single "correct" path forward. It just needs to be intentional and workable for the couple.

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.

Gen X’s parents divorced at the highest rates the country has ever seen; even if they didn’t, the fear that they might was ever present. An increasing prevalence of only one parent in the house at any time and a dearth of childcare ensured the “latchkey” approach stayed the norm throughout their childhood. Some say Gen X is the least supervised generation to date, and for most members of this generation, finding their way through the world was a highly independent endeavor.

As adults, they entered a work culture that was........

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