I really appreciated this great new article that discusses the realities many Generation X women are experiencing — more specifically, the emotional, physical and financial costs of working full-time, raising children while carrying the weight of both emotional and domestic labour, and caring for ageing parents – a great many of whom are baby boomers – who saved little and divorced more than any generation before them –– further complicating matters as ageing parents are alone, lonely, and without spouses for emotional and financial support. With that in mind, Gen X women also face an increasingly ‘gig-oriented’ economy (spun as entrepreneurial in some circles) without benefits or job security, which was not what was promised, technology they did not grow up with, and wages that have not kept up with the cost of living. The author alludes to advice around self-care for these women – you know — that once a week massage, or trip to the gym. As a Psychotherapist, I am guilty of this to a degree myself. The problem however, as this author rightly suggests, is systemic – and paying others to ‘relax us’ with pedicures, massages, etc. is not the answer — and places the responsibility (or blame for failing to do these things) back on the shoulders of Gen X women. This is not a new problem, but as families are increasingly, and by necessity, made up of two working adults, it may be fair to say it has reached a crisis point for many and that these women need a stronger safety net to protect them from completely burning out.
