WHAT HAPPENED TO THE GENERATION WHO ‘HAD IT ALL’?

Two in three women over 50 may face mental health challenges, and their suicide rate is rising.

- Glynis Horning

Women negotiating midlife today used to dress for success - and knew they would get it. (‘Shaping me up for the big time, baby,’ sang Roxette.) Gen X, especially, born between 1965 and 1980, were a proud product of the ’60s that liberalised social attitudes and started the ‘second wave’ of feminism, challenging patriarchal norms and pushing for equality. Many became the first women in their family to go to university and pursue a career, or strike out on their own and start a business. Research by Mastercard, released in 2025, found that 57% of South African women identify as entrepreneurs, with Gen X leading the way at 59%, growing side hustles into full-time operations.

With access to low-dose contraceptives and morning-after pills, many of these women deferred having a family to their late 20s or early 30s, focusing on work and finding partners who shared their values, while others stayed single, parenting solo or remaining child-free by choice. They appeared to have both options and opportunity by the (Birkin) bagful.

Now between 45 and 60, rather than ‘having it all’, many find they are expected to ‘do it all’, bearing the bulk of family, professional and emotional labour, often managing a ‘second shift’ of invisible, unpaid work that affects their mental health and career advancement — and facing burnout.