Traditionally, a generation has been defined as ‘the average interval of time between the birth of parents and the birth of their offspring’.1 This biological definition has placed a generation for millennia at around 20–25 years in span. While in the past this definition has served sociologists well, it is irrelevant today. Because cohorts are changing so quickly in response to new technologies, changing career and study options and shifting societal values, two decades is far too broad a generational span. Also, if we apply a biological definition today, a generation would span a larger time than ever as childbirth is pushed back later than ever. On average, the time between birth of parents and birth of their offspring has stretched out from two decades to more than three. In 1982, the median age of a woman having her first baby was 25, while today it is 31.2 So today generations are defined sociologically rather than biologically. A generation refers to a cohort of people born within a similar span of time (15 years at the upper end) who share a comparable age and life stage and who were shaped by a particular span of time (events, trends and developments)
