Menu
When asked ‘What generation are you?’, I can’t really give a straight answer. I was born in 1997, which puts me under Gen Z, but had I been born a couple months prior, I’d be considered a Millennial. To help myself understand what I’m signing up for when I commit to either generation, I Googled each of their traits and stereotypes… which was a minefield. At my fingertips were hundreds (and thousands) of different articles. Some scold Gen Z for spending too much on coffee instead of saving for a house. Others blame Millennials for still whining about the 2008 financial crash (I was 11, so I can’t comment… and I don’t drink coffee).
Here are the Gen Z traits and stereotypes (supposedly), and how I feel about them:
Prone to anxiety: … Can we attribute mental health issues to someone based on the year they’re born in?
Saving and investing is important to them: ‘Spend half, save half’ as my… Baby Boomer… grandad has instilled in me.
Keen to travel: Check.
Screen and social media obsessed: Guilty, but this could have something to do with me working in digital marketing.
Doesn’t want to work: Would I rather be on a beach? Yes. Do I enjoy my job? Also, yes. Two things can be right at the same time.
Here are the Millennial traits and stereotypes (supposedly), and how I feel about them:
Confident with technology: All relative to who I’m being compared with, but again, maybe a slight advantage due to working in digital marketing.
Avid savers: OK, I’m seeing a theme here…
Love to travel: Seeing another crossover, check.
Set too many boundaries: I do love setting a boundary, I’ve always thought this was a learnt skill of mine, developed over time. I definitely didn’t enter the world knowing how and when to say no. Do I set too many? Google certainly thinks so.
Prioritise work-life balance: Check.
So, that must make it more straightforward? Well, not really. I’ve now established that saving money and enjoying travelling is a theme (contradictory but crosses over into both generations). Written in black-and-white, I can see where certain traits ring true, but for many of them, they correspond more to the current point in my life and/or career. For example, I do set boundaries, but I only became firm in them since becoming a mum. I spend too much time scrolling on social media, a habit that became more apparent after transitioning from roles in e-commerce to specialising in Digital Marketing. What’s more telling than these traits is how they evolve depending on where we are in life.
What do I align with personally?
Honestly? Bits of both, and some things that probably don’t belong to either. My radio station of choice is ‘Smooth FM’. My favourite pastimes are reading books and growing tomatoes. On those facts alone, you may place me in a completley different ‘generational box’. What’s important to think about here is that you could place anyone into any box if you only look at superficial statements. What’s crucial is having that curiosity to know and learn more about individuals. What might motivate one Gen Z could demotivate another Gen Z. There’s no one-size-fits-all.
I align more with values I’ve grown into, rather than ones I was supposedly born with. Wanting flexibility, having a sense of purpose, and caring about balance didn’t come about simply because I hit a certain age or joined a certain workforce. They came through lived experience. And I think a lot of people feel the same, no matter what label they’ve been handed.
When do we stop putting people in boxes? Where do we draw the line?
Maybe instead of asking, “What generation are you?”, we should be asking:
What’s important to you right now?
What’s shaped you?
What are you learning?
Because no matter your birth year, people are more than their generational label. And it's time we stopped pretending otherwise.
To find out more about latest research into generational differences, download our free eBook!
