I am less financially stable but far happier.

Depends on your interpretation of better. My parents definitely led a more comfortable life filled with more happiness. At my age, they had already been able to settle down and establish themselves professionally. Meanwhile I’m struggling to find a job, may never be able to buy a flat and have been mentally ill since I was 13.

Morally though I am fully convinced I lead a much better life than them. I live more sustainable and climate-friendly. I am politically active trying to change the world for the better and fighting discrimination. In the work I do I try to help young people along in their journey, while my mother as part of her job has been keeping homeless people homeless.

I would not want to have led my parents’ lives. Even though they are far better off than I will ever be in many regards, I am proud playing a tiny part in changing the world for the better where they were at least complicit in the world staying that way.

When my parents were my age they had three kids and a house. Meanwhile I’m here with three houses and one kid.

My parents have passed, but I’d like to have more close family. We had a hard time making that first kid, and we’re not getting any younger.

(Scandinavia)

Worse economically. Mom had a union job into getting her associates into well paid career in healthcare. Parents bought a house, new cars, jet ski, went on vacations. I don’t have any of that. I’m working on a trailer and land to put it on. I made better romantic decisions, so better that way. Dad was drafted, so better that way.

I’m trans, so if I were born into their generation it would have been way worse for me.

Pretty sure they both had better sex lives than I have but that’s my own choices.

China. Much, much better, but it’s a bit unfair to compare someone who grew up in a typical modern society to someone who grew up in time of extreme poverty, subsistence farming, and famine…

Although, my parents did go to better universities & got better careers right off the bat due to a lack of educated ppl back in their days

A lot better. Brazilian millennial.

My parents quit school to do manual work at ~10yo and barely got to learn how to read. I did work on my early teens too but very light stuff. By my mid 20s I already reached a very comfortable life.

I never talked to my parent about this, but I imagine way better. My dad is one of the earlier master degree holder in China. He got his PhD much later; I believe around his 40s.

At my age, my dad is an entry level doctor and my mom an entry level nurse. They live in a room of 10 square meter assigned by the hospital they work in.

I am now a professor, a very busy job, but nevertheless stable. The pay is not bad (not as much as industry though) and the work is really fulfilling. The only unfortunate part is that I almost always need to work overtime. It is not uncommon for me to work from waking up to going to bed, if not working into midnight.

Better.

I have a good paying job, wife, not addicted to drugs, own my house, own 2 cars, have 2 kids, 2 dogs, 1 cat, 4 ducks, I don’t weigh 300lbs, saving for retirement, living within my means, and everyone is mostly healthy.

I just hope my government doesn’t screw it up for me and my kids.

Worse for sure.

At my age, they were already married with kids and had enough to build a dream house in a decent town. Both had stable jobs that were considered good despite neither having a college degree.

I’m in a decent job that pays me (on paper) more money than my parents used to make, but I had to get my master’s degree to get here, and I’m still trying to pay off 8 years of student debt (though I’m getting closer each paycheck).

Between that, rent, and the sheer cost of everything these days, my partner and I are nowhere close to the point where we could afford a house, and we definitely could not afford to have even one kid, let alone three.

We’re at least not living paycheck to paycheck, but there have been industry layoffs left and right that have me feeling like any day could be my turn. I’d love to have more of a safety net in that situation, but there’s not all that much left over for us to put towards savings or retirement. Meanwhile, my parents are retired now, while I’m fully expecting to work until I die.

Edit: Forgot to clarify that this is the US, if the existence of student debt wasn’t already a giveaway.

Worse in that I don’t have a house and probably never will.

Better in that I know more about how to treat my physical and mental health than they ever knew about theirs.

Worse in that I don’t have as much money as they had at my age.

Better in that I don’t need to worry about leaving money to anyone.