Words: Rose Powell

It’s no secret that society loves to pigeonhole generations.

Boomers are kids in candy shops who could buy whatever they wanted, and destroyed the world in the meantime. Millennials are blissfully ignorant snowflakes. Gen Z are angry and outspoken, internet-obsessed iconoclasts who dress in 2000s clothes but hate everyone and everything who was born before the late 90s.

As a 17 year old girl, I feel strongly that as Gen Z now begin to reach adulthood, enter the workplace and step up onto the world stage, it is critical that we see through these generational myths. This way, we can pave the way for sisterhoods amongst working women to continue to be cultivated, across all generations. I’d like to help debunk some common misconceptions about Gen Z, and outline what this generation have to offer to the workplace - what to expect from us, and how female mentorship will be essential in ensuring the successful integration of young Gen Z women into the current community of female professionals.

Truths about Gen-Z have become generalisations. The real picture is more nuanced, and will be surprising to most. As the first generation to grow up on the internet, there is a sense that we reject forming real-life connections, in favour of buying into the social media facade and living our lives online. However the reality is that we live in a culture where there is a dependence on social media, and isolation if you don’t participate. Even though the harmful side of this is well understood by Gen Z, we're often criticised as being responsible for creating an overly-sensitive standard of political correctness, where mistakes are inexcusable and are met with cancel-culture rage. This picture overlooks one of our generation’s greatest strengths; we are more accepting than ever before of the fluid and myriad forms of identity.

We are at a crossroads; trying to balance participation in the world that my generation have grown up in, whilst also trying to make long-lasting and significant changes to the toxic aspects of Gen Z life. Early exposure to the media has shaped our generation. Social media culture has placed a high sense of importance centred around individuality, but this encouragement of being authentic is contradicted by the impossible standards created by photo-editing, which young adults and even children often can compare themselves to and feel pressured to conform to.

Sexualisation of Gen Z girls at a young age, through media such as TikTok and today’s ease of access of porn, are contributors to this issue in which girls are forced to juggle with an expectation of them to also advocate body-positivity and vulnerability on their platforms. The youth who make up Generation Z also are politically engaged and hold an incredible awareness of global issues like climate change and equal rights. However this same expectation to show solidarity and advocacy for different political movements or other causes, sometimes encourages an attitude of paying lip service to the ‘correct’ positions. This occurs without Gen Z having the opportunities or life experiences to actually put these principles into practice, and take initiative to fight for change in day to day life offline.

You may be asking, what should be expected from Generation Z as the new intake of young employees and interns? In answer, you can expect to witness far-reaching effects that ripple through the workplace, culture, retail and more. We can look forward to these young adults bringing a genuine appetite for innovation, whilst showing solidarity to social and ecological change. As we become adults, not only will Gen-Z gain visibility in the workplace, but our importance as consumers will also increase. As consumers and customers, Gen Z can be expected to demand candour above all else, seeking realistic portrayals and relatability in a way that is not commodified.

This attitude of inclusivity, and a wish for more truth and accountability, will benefit everyone - not just Gen Z. Equally, the benefits of connecting generations are not one-sided.

Women who have forged a path in business, entrepreneurship and industry, have concrete life experiences that will be indispensable in guiding the next generation of women. The courage and grit that women from previous generations have had to harness in order to get ahead in their careers paves the way for the future generations of women to do the same. This is why mentorship from older women is such an invaluable resource to the young women of Gen Z. Women who have years worth of experience in the workplace, and who often are no stranger to the challenges within, could provide the exact type of mentorship that so many young women and girls today need. Their personal wisdom and real life experiences can give more concrete meaning to the issues and ideals that can seem alien to the lives of many young people, despite engaging in it through the media.

Generation Z’s world view is globalised, expansive, and inclusive; they can connect with individuals and groups world-wide. Let’s foster this kind of connection between generations of women too.