what does the x stand for in generation x 
the letter x refers to an unknown variable as in mathematics or to the generation s desire not to be defined 13the bottom linenumbering about 65 million generation x includes individuals born between the mid 1960s and the early 1980s known as the latchkey or the lost generation gen x ers grew up at a time when societal values shifted with many children home alone after school and an increase in divorce rates their early years in the workforce included many economic hurdles such as the dotcom bubble and the great recession today gen x members are in their prime earning years but many still feel unprepared for retirement 