ACCORDING TO a new report, 43 percent of  corporate professional women between the ages of 33 and 46 have no children. In its press annoucement of the report on the work lives of “Generation X-ers,” the Center for Work-Life Policy, a liberal “think tank” which specializes in corporate diversity programs, expresses no consternation over the demographic suicide of the American elite (it actually seems to think this low birthrate is kind of cool), but raises alarm about the need for cutting-edge corporations to appeal to the childless.

Perhaps the U.S. could become the first country in the world to offer parent leave to non-parents.

Why not? Once corporations began to accomodate parents, and mothers in particular, by offering them flexibility, which is a form of non-cash payment, they became unfair to the childless. If they can’t do away with these forms of favoritism, the only choice is to offer the same flexibility and benefits to the childless. After all, there is no business rationale for favoring parents except the goal of retaining them as employees. The childless make valuable workers too.

The report states:

The Big Surprise! 43 percent of Gen X women do not have children.

… [D]ue to challenges and circumstances beyond their control, Gen-Xers are taking a different life path…. Their extreme work schedules (nearly a third of highearning Gen Xers work 60+ hours a week), strong career ambition, the current economic challenges, as well as changing mores and life choices are all factors that contribute to their high level of childlessness compared to other generations.

…. 

Yet the turmoil and instability that have been an integral part of Xers’ lives have yielded unexpected benefits in the work world. Having been front and center for every major economic crisis of the past 30 years, Xers possess exactly the sort of resilience that organizations need as they face an uncertain future.

Most important, Xers are masters at mastering change—a skill set critical in every company today. They have been laid off, restructured, outsourced, reorganized and relocated more than any other generation in modern times—yet they are hugely hard-working and ambitious, eager to amplify their talents by learning new skills and garnering new experiences. However, employers must take warning: These strengths risk being nullified by diminished loyalty, declining engagement—and increasing apathy.

… Solutions include offering alternative opportunities to Xers when they cannot be promoted vertically and making sure that Gen Xers without children receive the same flexibility as those with children. {emphasis added.]

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