Affair Handbook

Would it surprise you if I told you Gen Xers are not just having more affairs than millennials but more sex in general? It’s true, according to several recent polls and studies. If you fall for the hype of popular culture, millennials are sex-crazed, hook-up machines living a life of one night stands and easy come-easy go relationships when in fact, studies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have shown teens and young adults are having less sex than any generation for decades.

Gen Xer’s VS Millennials

Gen Xer’s are folks born somewhere in the 70s and early 80’s. They were known as latchkey kids growing up and that has a lot to do with their personalities and perhaps why many of them have decided having an affair at some point in their life was a good idea. As Gen Xers were growing up, there were a lot of societal changes happening that landed more women in the workforce and spending less time at home. The rising divorce rate among them. Gen X kids were responsible for themselves and spent a lot of time with no adult supervision, most with only one parent in the home. When they reached teen years, they were known as the cynical MTV generation that avoided work and yet as adults have been attributed with much business and entrepreneurial savvy. All this goes to show that their generation was hip to the world around it and could bend it to fit their own agendas. Nothing much has changed.

Millennials, on the other hand, are a different breed. This is the term used to describe those born in the 90’s through early 2000’s. Their parents were latchkey kids and members of the MTV generation. Their work/life balance is important to them and they identify closer to environmental issues and social concerns than their parents did as young people. As adults they want less structure and more freewill in all parts of their lives. They have a wider range of interests and are also known as Generation Me for the strong emphasis they put on personal happiness. It isn’t easy to see what all this has to do with why Gen X folks are having affairs more than Millennials. The answer is there, however.

Millennials Have No Time to Have An Affair

Yup. That’s right. Millennials polled feel they just don’t have time for having an affair and extemporaneous sex. They are involved in their communities and social projects. They have a wide range of friendships and educational goals. While they seek w balance in work and life, they also put importance on their careers and attempt to nourish what they feel is healthy. That doesn’t leave a lot of time for having an affair if it isn’t high on your list of priorities.

Technology Helps Everyone Have More Affairs

It isn’t new news that Millennials have more technology in their life than any other generation. While the reason why is evident, they do not see the effect that the rest of us can see. They spend more time online than in their real lives. Some even work in a computer or internet related industry. Internet dating is so prevalent that some people seem satisfied with just meeting in an online dating scenario and carrying on a cybersexual relationship. While it is possible to have an affair this way, it doesn’t tend to be as devastating to the marriage.

The Times They are a Changin’ When It Comes To Having An Affair

Recent studies show that changes in attitude and the way Millennials look at sex in general are a big reason having an affair is not a pervading issue in marriages within the generation. The numbers are way lower for teens having sex going from 54% in 1991 to 41% in 2015. Teens are waiting longer to have sex and there is another minority who wait an extended period- into their 20’s- that is rapidly growing. These kids are seeing the perils of sex and finding them not worth the risk.

Gen Xers are having more affairs than Millennials and a lot of it boils down to life experience in their formative years. The facts are fascinating and the implications even more so.