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baby boom

 
Dictionary: baby boom   (bā'bē-būm') adj.
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n.
A sudden, large, sustained increase in the birthrate, especially the one in the United States and Canada from the later 1940s through the early 1960s.

baby-boom ba'by-boom'
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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: baby boom
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In the U.S., increase in the birth rate between 1946 and 1964; also, the generation born in the U.S. during that period. The hardships and uncertainties of the Great Depression and World War II led many unmarried couples to delay marriage and many married couples to delay having children. The war's end, followed by a sustained period of economic prosperity (the 1950s and early 1960s), was accompanied by a surge in population. The sheer size of the baby-boom generation (some 75 million) magnified its impact on society: the growth of families led to a migration from cities to suburbs in the postwar years, prompting a building boom in housing, schools, and shopping malls. As the "boomers" reached young adulthood in the 1960s and '70s, their tastes in music and their hair and dress styles strongly influenced the national culture, and the political activism of some contributed to the unpopularity of the Vietnam War. As they aged and prospered in the 1980s and '90s, their buying habits determined the course of many consumer industries, including automobiles. The needs of baby boomers during their retirement years were expected to strain public resources.

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WordNet: baby boom
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Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: the larger than expected generation in United States born shortly after World War II

Wikipedia: Baby boom
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For other uses, see Baby boom (disambiguation).
Number of births in the United States, 1934 to present

A baby boom is any period marked by a greatly increased birth rate. This demographic phenomenon is usually ascribed within certain geographical bounds and when the number of annual births exceeds 2% of the total population size.[citation needed] People born during such a period are often called baby boomers; however, some experts distinguish between those born during such demographic baby booms and those who identify with the overlapping cultural generations. Conventional wisdom states that baby booms signify good times and periods of general economic growth and stability.[citation needed]

United States

The term "baby boom" most often refers to the dramatic post-World War II baby boom. There are an estimated 77.3 million Americans who were born during this demographic boom in births.[1] The term is a general demographic one and is also applicable to other similar population expansions.

Recent baby boom periods include:

  • Post-World War II baby boom - Years of duration vary, depending on the source (e.g., 1943-1960,[2] 1946-1964[3]).
  • Echo baby boom (Millennial Generation) - (1980 to 1999), the children of the post-WWII baby boomers.
  • 2007 - 4.3 million babies were born in the U.S., breaking the record set for children born in 1957. Contributing to the record was the increase in childbearing women of all ages, and a record share of births to unmarried women.[4]

Notes

  1. ^ "Baby Boom Population: U.S. Census Bureau, USA and by State". Boomers Life. 2008-07-01. http://www.boomerslife.org/baby_boom_population_us_census_bureau_by_state.htm. Retrieved 2009-05-18. 
  2. ^ Strauss, William, & Howe, Neil (1992). Generations: The history of America's future, 1584 to 2069. Harper Perennial. pp. 324. ISBN 0688119123. 
  3. ^ U.S. Census Bureau (2006-01-03). "Oldest Baby Boomers Turn 60!". http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/006105.html. Retrieved 2009-08-03. 
  4. ^ Eckholm, Erik (2009-03-18). "’07 U.S. Births Break Baby Boom Record". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/19/health/19birth.html. Retrieved 2009-09-15. 

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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Baby boom".  Read more