baby boom

baby boom
a period of sharp increase in the birthrate, as that in the U.S. following World War II.
[1950-55]

* * *

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.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Baby-boom — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Baby Boom. Le baby boom ou babyboum (auquel sera, plus tard, opposée la notion inverse de baby krach) est un terme anglais que l on peut remplacer par pic de la natalité et désigne une augmentation importante du… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • baby-boom — [ babibum; bebi ] n. m. VAR. baby boum • 1958; babyboom 1954; mot angl., de baby « bébé » et boom « hausse » ♦ Anglic. Forte augmentation de la natalité. Des baby booms, des baby boums. ● baby boom, baby booms nom masculin ( …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • baby boom — UK US noun ► [C] a period during which there is a big increase in the number of births, especially used to refer to the period in the UK and US between approximately 1945 and 1965: »China experienced a baby boom after the Communist Party came to… …   Financial and business terms

  • baby-boom — UK US noun ► [C] a period during which there is a big increase in the number of births, especially used to refer to the period in the UK and US between approximately 1945 and 1965: »China experienced a baby boom after the Communist Party came to… …   Financial and business terms

  • Baby Boom — steht für: Baby Boomer, steigende Geburtenraten nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg Baby Boom – Eine schöne Bescherung, US amerikanische Filmkomödie aus dem Jahr 1987 Baby Boom Galaxie, Spitzname für die Galaxie Zw II 96, in der sehr viele Sterne… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • baby boom — coined 1941, from BABY (Cf. baby) (n.) + BOOM (Cf. boom) (n.); derivative baby boomer (member of the one that began 1945) recorded by 1974 …   Etymology dictionary

  • baby boom — baby booms N COUNT: usu sing A baby boom is a period of time when a lot of babies are born in a particular place. [INFORMAL] I m a product of the postwar baby boom …   English dictionary

  • baby boom — n an increase in the number of babies born during a particular period, compared to other times used especially about people born between 1946 and 1964 ▪ the baby boom generation …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • baby boom — baby ,boom noun count INFORMAL a big increase in the number of babies being born. There was a famous baby boom in the U.S. and Europe between about 1945 and 1964 …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • baby-boom — s. m. Aumento brutal da natalidade. • Plural: baby booms.   ‣ Etimologia: palavra inglesa …   Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa

  • baby boom — ► NOUN informal ▪ a temporary marked increase in the birth rate, especially the one following the Second World War. DERIVATIVES baby boomer noun …   English terms dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”