Gen Z is officially dominated by girlbosses

There are a series of stereotypes and/or social constructions associated with each of the generations present in the collective imagination. From the baby boomers, as conservative people with a certain tendency to inaptitude in the online universe; the millennials, as lazy people with no hope for the future, to the Z, as the “crystal” generation within the wake era, in charge of championing activism for social struggles.

It is thus a series of reductionist ideas linked to all these generations suspended in a constant unblocking of screens in the midst of reality, on many occasions, immersed in chaos and disorder. Now, leaving all those clichés behind, and relying on the empiricism of a global study conducted by the strategic communications consultancy BCW, we can say that young people officially share a series of values: “power, achievement, hedonism and stimulation”. In other words, they are eternally connected by the pursuit of strong emotions, more than other previous generations.

Beyond that, the report found that this intergenerational divide is often exaggerated, since “regardless of age, we are all first and foremost social, caring and security-seeking. That said, the same study concluded that Gen Z -born between 1997 and 2012- stands out for valuing “power, achievement, hedonism and stimulation” significantly more than other age groups.

According to the results, 44% of Generation Z believes it is important to be very successful and have people recognize their achievements, compared to 37% of millennials, 23% of Generation X, 13% of boomers and 14% of the silent generation. In addition, the power of wealth may have captivated them more than the rest, with 32% of Gen Z believing it is important to be wealthy, compared to only 26% of millennials and 16% of Generation X.

GIRLBOSS CULTURE

According to the researchers, social networks have a lot to do with all this. “Younger generations have grown up in highly [digitized] societies where the accomplishments of peers are broadcast on social networks, providing a window into the highlights of other people’s lives,” Taylor Saia, BCW’s chief strategy officer, said in the report. “As a result, it’s no wonder that younger generations are so focused on reaching their full potential and being seen to do so.”

The landmark study also recognized that “young people have always been motivated by ambition, to advance and achieve personal success, as well as social status and power,” and noted that these goals may be more pronounced among Generation Z given the economic challenges they face. After all, this generation has grown up in a decadent era where the only way to get ahead, or survive (depending on how you look at it), is to make a living for yourself. At least, that’s what the culture of individualism has taught us.