'Woodstock 40th' Survey Shows Boomers Loved Their Careers, Still Pursue Their Ideals

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Eons.com, the online community for Baby Boomers, announced the results of its Woodstock 40th Anniversary Survey. The survey sampled the opinions of nearly 2,000 respondents age 45 and over, forming a portrait of a generation that started out breaking the rules, and four decades later continues to shape the world.

The survey findings show that many Boomers actually loved their careers:

Two-thirds of Boomers said they have achieved their career aspirations. In 1969, women's top goal (32%) was to have a job that could help make a difference, while men (36%) sought a company with good benefits, pensions and security. The beginning of a sea change for women and work was evident as only 22% of women wanted to be a stay-at-home parent. Career disappointment centered on not making enough money, despite liking their jobs. Over 40% said they have or had a really fun and enjoyable career.

While less than half of this generation (42%) gave much thought in the 1960s to the corporate world, those that did (22%) thought it was a necessary evil. Today, almost all Boomers think about the corporate world (93%) and despite career success, many still feel it is a necessary evil (36%).

Of those surveyed, many credit the '60s for defining their generation and influenced them in various ways.

Over 45% said, "I am who I am because of the '60s," with 75% claiming that growing up in the '60s made them more open-minded. Over 50% enjoyed those times and would choose to live them over again, but 9% would happily skip that time.

In 1969, they "never would have imagined" that in 40 years we'd have an African American President (60%). Other surprises? They still enjoy music as much as they did (36%); they enjoy being grandparents (32%); and they as strongly espouse the values of peace, love and community (32%) as they did 40 years ago.

Overall, 62% said their generation as a whole has not achieved its ideals yet. One commented, "We made more change happen faster than anyone dreamed possible before us. There is still a distance to go, but our impact on the process has been undeniable."