10 Things Millennials Are Tired Of At This Stage In Their Lives
If you were born between 1981 and 1996, you're probably way over these trends.
Dean Drobot | Shutterstock Millennials were born between 1981 and 1996, placing them between the ages of 28 and 43.
They existed on the cusp of two wildly different worlds, as they were the last generation to know a life without the pervasive presence of the internet. While they’re now firmly in their adult era, millennials spent their younger years learning to navigate new technology and the wave of cultural changes that came along with it.
Every generation has unique historical and social markers that define who they are, and millennials are no different. As they cross the threshold from young adulthood to being undeniably middle-aged, there are certain things millennials are tired of at this stage of their lives. The world they were promised looks nothing like the one they inherited, which means many millennials are still finding their footing and figuring out where they fit in.
Here are 10 things millennials are tired of at this stage in their lives:
1.The high cost of living.
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At this stage in their lives, millennials are tired of the high cost of living. They’re more than just tired: They’re completely exhausted and depleted. Many millennials entered the workforce in 2008, at the height of the Great Recession. They were highly educated and unable to find steady work. Their economic “slow start” rippled outward. Many millennials are still trying to make up for lost time in a workforce with stagnating wages as the cost of living rises.
According to data from the Consumer Price Index, which the Bureau of Labor Statistics uses to measure inflation rates, cost of living prices peaked at 9.1% in 2022, the highest rate in over 40 years. Between 2023 and 2024, prices increased by 3%.
In 2022, Americans put 33.3% of their income toward housing, the cost of which rose by 5.2% between 2023 and 2024. 60% of workers said their income didn’t keep up with inflation through 2023.
Millennials have been hit especially hard by the high cost of living. Their quality of life is nowhere near what their Boomer parents had at the same age. Most millennials are just trying to stay afloat and pay their rent, let alone save for a home.
The overarching narrative from Boomers has maintained that millennials could buy houses if they stopped buying avocado toast and oat milk lattes. Yet millennials’ reality is much starker than that, and not buying their special little treats wouldn’t dent their practically non-existent savings.
Millennials are tired of barely being able to afford to keep a roof over their heads, and they’re especially tired of being told not owning property is somehow their fault and not due to factors entirely out of their control.
2.Traditional career paths.
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Millennials are tired of being told that taking the traditional career path will bring security and success when their lived experience has proven otherwise. Millennials went to college like they were told, only to discover that a degree didn’t guarantee steady work. While their Boomer parents likely stayed at one company for the entirety of their working lives, millennials entered a workforce with significantly less stability.
Millennials who clawed their way into the corporate world only to realize the stress wasn’t worth the effort. Many millennials at the top of the ladder want to climb back down.
According to a 2011 poll from the Pew Research Center, millennials didn’t feel as financially secure as Boomers. While 54% of older adults rated their financial situation as “good” or “excellent,” only 33% of younger people rated theirs the same.
The idea that you should have one job throughout a lifetime no longer applies. Millennials have had to redefine and reimagine what success means, and they’re tired of hearing that success is based on the longevity of their careers.
3.Side hustle pressure.
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Along with losing the traditional career path, millennials were hit with intense pressure to have a side hustle, as though monetizing their hobbies would provide them with economic stability. The rise of influencers coincided with the rise of the gig economy, which is a fancy way of saying millennials must work multiple jobs to make ends meet.
Millennials entered adulthood in the era of the girl boss. Hustle culture was highly celebrated instead of being seen for what it is: a glorified demand that people work themselves to the bone. Millennials were told to equate their productivity to their self-worth, which is no way to find fulfillment.
The “grind” mentality has been so pervasive that many millennials, women especially, feel a deep sense of unease when they’re not working. Yet, defining their identities through the jobs they hold keeps them trapped in a cycle of stress. It makes them feel inadequate as if nothing they do will ever be enough.
Many millennials are questioning this mindset, even outright rejecting it. They’re learning their jobs will never love them back, no matter how many overtime hours they work. They’re separating their hobbies from the pressure of the side hustle. Millennials are discovering that having fun just for fun will lift their spirits and nourish their souls, so they’re tired of side hustle pressure at this stage.
4.Work-life imbalance.
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Another thing millennials are tired of at this stage in their lives is the intensity of their work-life imbalance. Being part of the gig economy means many employers don’t offer basic benefits, like healthcare or a living wage, which are necessary for survival.
Millennials are fighting the good fight against being burnt out, a byproduct of their ingrained hustle culture mentality.
As life coach Ronald Legge revealed, “Our chaotic culture makes it hard to separate work and business in our lives. Because of smartphones, computers, and social media, beating burnout becomes a lifelong process.”
“Organizations pressure employees to produce, over-praise those who don't exercise healthy work boundaries,” he continued, noting that many people reject the idea that overworking is a badge of honor.
To combat the fatigue of the grind, Legge suggested setting boundaries and putting yourself first. He advised setting aside time to spend with family and friends and making time for mindfulness, having fun, and moving your body.
“You deserve a joyful, meaningful life,” he concluded.
At this stage in their lives, millennials are tired of being promised a work-life balance that doesn’t exist, so they’re making it for themselves.
5.Expensive childcare.
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Millennials who have kids are tired of the astronomical cost of childcare. The U.S. Department of Labor analyzed childcare costs over five years, from 2013 to 2018, and found that childcare costs close to one-fifth of a family’s yearly income for just one child. They noted that many mothers leave the workforce to care for their children, as childcare costs more than college tuition in over half of the country.
The cost of raising kids is almost untenable for many families, and those costs are even affecting millennials who don’t have kids. Many people decide against having children because they can’t afford it. Rising economic pressures shouldn’t so profoundly influence the future of someone’s family, yet it seems like there’s no clear solution.
Certain politicians’ answers to “relieve some of the pressure” on parents paying insane amounts of money for daycare is to rely on grandma and grandpa or “maybe there's an aunt or uncle that wants to help out a little bit more.” This response not only sidesteps the need for serious policy change but also implies that everyone has access to a family who can afford to drop their lives and pitch in.
At this stage in their lives, millennials are tired of being gaslit about how much it costs to raise kids, as though the future didn’t depend on them.
6.Over-dependence on technology.
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Millennials were the first generation to come of age in the digital era. They were the last generation to experience life with and without the internet. This means they know both the extreme boredom of lying on the kitchen floor and staring up at the ceiling and the intensity of being instantly connected to all the world’s information and everyone they’ve ever met.
Now, millennials are tired of feeling too dependent on technology. They’re reachable no matter what and overwhelmed by the constant stream of news alerts, texts, and notifications. The ability to separate their work life from their home life is more complex than ever since they hear the swoosh of a work email arriving whether they want to.
Many millennials long for what their childhoods held: Endless time to daydream, walk in nature, and be with friends without their phones buzzing. They’re tired of technology and its constant demands.
7.Dating apps.
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Millennials are tired of dating apps and everything that goes along with them. They’re exhausted by the cycle of swiping, chatting, and getting their hopes up, only to be ghosted. Millennials aren’t the only ones to see how toxic dating apps are, as evidenced by a lawsuit against Match Group, the dating app parent company.
The plaintiff’s lawyers argued that the purpose of dating apps is “to transform users into gamblers locked in a search for psychological rewards that Match makes elusive on purpose.”
“Harnessing powerful technologies and hidden algorithms, Match intentionally designs the platforms with addictive, game-like design features, which lock users into a perpetually pay-to-play loop,” the lawyers claimed. “Users with unlimited swipes will chase the elusive high of matching, match more often, and fall victim to ghosting and breadcrumbing at higher rates.”
Millennials are tired of shallow conversations that lead nowhere. They want real love and genuine connection, which cannot be found through apps.
8.Delayed life milestones.
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Millennials are tired of delayed life milestones and being held to standards that aren’t impossible for them at this stage. Millennials have experienced political and social events that completely shifted how the world works. They lived through 9/11 and the subsequent Iraq and Afghanistan wars. They lived through a major economic collapse, and a global pandemic hit when they began to get their bearing. Millennials’ lives haven’t unfolded as expected, affecting their ability to hit specific markers of adulthood.
In 2012, the Pew Research Center reported that millennials felt the Great Recession deeply impacted their personal lives. 31% said they postponed getting married or having a baby, and 24% said they moved back in with their parents after living independently.
In 2020, the Pew Research Center reported that millennials were less likely to live with their own family, defined as having a spouse or children than past generations. 14% of millennials lived with their parents, and another 14% lived with other family members.
The old indications of what was seen as successful adulthood don’t hold anymore. Many millennials can’t afford to buy a home, pay for a wedding, or raise children. They’re tired of being measured by life milestones so far from their reality that they’re nearly impossible to reach.
9.Comparison culture.
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Millennials are tired of the innate comparison that comes with being chronically online. As YourTango defined it, comparison culture is “a societal phenomenon in which individuals habitually engage in the practice of constantly measuring themselves, their achievements, possessions, and life circumstances against those of others.”
Comparison culture can be quiet and insidious, and it’s easy to fall into the trap of measuring your life against some internet stranger’s, only to feel like you fall short.
In a YourTango survey on comparison culture, 62% of people shared that it is problematic or somewhat problematic. 73% said they noticed a connection between comparison culture and depression or other mental health challenges.
Comparing yourselves to others takes focus away from what you have, and millennials are tired of being caught in the constant cycle of feeling bad about themselves at this stage.
10.Outdated advice.
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Millennials are tired of getting outdated advice from older people who lack an understanding of how drastically times have changed. Boomers built their adult lives in a wildly different cultural context, yet they still expect their millennial children to reach the same goalposts. They offer well-meaning but misguided advice, like the Boomer who told his granddaughter to supplement the corporate paycheck she lost by looking for work at the local park.
Millennials are tired of receiving impractical advice and of being expected to be grateful for it. They are trying their best with what they have, which is all they can do now and beyond.
Alexandra Blogier, MFA, is a staff writer who covers psychology, social issues, relationships, self-help topics, and human interest stories.