Question

United States Age Structure

In 5-6 sentences, propose one social, historical, or economic factor that could explain why the Baby Boomer generation is so much larger than the Gen X, Gen Y, or Gen Z cohorts Predict how Gen Y and Gen Z will affect the age structure and growth rate of the United States and will change once Gen X reaches retirement ago (65+)
Use the passage to answer the question
This diagram depicts a population pyramid showing the age structure of the United States from 2016 to 2020. The age structure is broken down based on number of males and females, and the color-coded bars indicate the relative population size of each indicated generation: Baby Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y, and Gen Z
2016-2020
Male Female
Age
75-79 +
70-74 65-69 1
60-64+
55-59
50-54 1
45-49 T
35-39 40-44
47
30-34
25-29 20-24
15-19
600 M
400 M
200 M
OM
200 M
Gen Z
Baby Boomer
Gen X
Gen Y
400 M
POPULATION PYRAMID: WORLD
10-14 5-9
04 I

Answer 1

[AI-generated answer — Bot GPT 3.5]

One social factor that could explain why the Baby Boomer generation is so much larger than the Gen X, Gen Y, or Gen Z cohorts is the post-World War II economic boom. After the war, there was a surge in population growth as soldiers returned home and started families, leading to a "baby boom" that resulted in a larger generation. As Gen Y and Gen Z cohorts grow and age, they will eventually begin to reach retirement age themselves, which will impact the age structure and growth rate of the United States. Once Gen X reaches retirement age (65+), there will likely be a shift in the age structure as they start to make up a larger portion of the older population, potentially leading to changes in healthcare, social security, and other systems that support older Americans.