<P> Members of Generation X were children during a time of shifting societal values and as children were sometimes called the "latchkey generation", due to reduced adult supervision as children compared to previous generations, a result of increasing divorce rates and increased maternal participation in the workforce, prior to widespread availability of childcare options outside the home . As adolescents and young adults, they were dubbed the "MTV Generation" (a reference to the music video channel of the same name). In the 1990s they were sometimes characterized as slackers, cynical and disaffected . Some of the cultural influences on Gen X youth were the musical genres of punk music, heavy metal music, grunge and hip hop music, and indie films . In midlife, research describes them as active, happy, and achieving a work--life balance . The cohort has been credited with producing notable examples of individuals with entrepreneurial abilities . </P> <P> The term "Generation X" has been used at various times throughout history to describe alienated youth . In the 1950s, Hungarian photographer Robert Capa used Generation X as the title for a photo - essay about young men and women growing up immediately following World War II . In 1976, English musician Billy Idol used the moniker as the name for a punk rock band, based on the title of a 1965 book on popular youth culture by two British journalists, Jane Deverson and Charles Hamblett . </P> <P> The term acquired its modern definition after the release of Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture, a 1991 novel written by Canadian author Douglas Coupland . Demographer Neil Howe noted the delay in naming this demographic cohort saying, "Over 30 years after their birthday, they didn't have a name . I think that's germane ." Previously, the cohort had been referred to as Post-Boomers, Baby Busters, New Lost Generation, latchkey kids, MTV Generation, and the 13th Generation (the 13th generation since American independence). </P> <P> Demographer William Strauss observed that Coupland applied the term to older members of the cohort born between 1961 and 1964, who were sometimes told by demographers that they were baby boomers, but who did not feel like boomers . Strauss also noted that around the time Coupland's 1991 novel was published the symbol "X" was prominent in popular culture, as the film Malcolm X was released in 1992, and that the name "Generation X" ended up sticking . The "X" refers to an unknown variable or to a desire not to be defined . </P>

Where did the term generation x come from