Gender transformation of views from Baby Boomers to generation Z

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to identify the common and distinct dominant (concepts) of two major generations based on egalitarian and traditional gender ideology – representatives of Вaby Вoomers (women and men born in 1946-1964) and representatives of Generation Z – students (girls and boys born in 1996-2010). The methodological basis of the first stage of the psychosocial study was built upon the ideas of psychological differences between generations, which were presented in the book «Generations» published by American scholars Neil Howe and William Strauss. The authors argue that individuals within a single generation (men and women) are united by common values, gender-role behavior, including skills, competencies, and etiquette, along with gender differentiation. We also relied on contemporary research in gender psychology, particularly regarding the influence of traditional paradigm pressure of femininity and masculinity concepts dominating throughout the lives of the Вaby Вoomer generation and its disruption by the current research in gender psychology on androgyny productivity and the interchangeability of gender roles in all spheres of private and social life. Specifically, it was the feminist ideas and gender balance that started to be assimilated by the younger generations, particularly the so-called digital Generation Z. Generation Z is characterized by the daily use of the Internet, YouTube, mobile phones, SMS, and MP3 players, which allowed to describe them as the digital generation. It is known that the nature of equitable, fair gender attitudes determines the democratic development of modern society and gender equality policy in all spheres of human existence, especially regarding women in the 21st century. We were interested in how deeply gender equality ideas have penetrated into each of the different spheres of human activity – education, upbringing, professional aspirations and career development, political and ideological views, and even fashion in the representations of the two generations – older adults and younger adults according to Erickson's age classification of developmental stages. Our pilot study revealed significant differences between the two gender mentalities – traditional for the majority of baby boomer generations, especially for women, and quite liberal, egalitarian for Generation Z, especially female students. Baby Вoomers adhere to ideals and a real assessment of any public events to a strict bipolar distribution of gender roles and consider the technological information boom the main negative factor that has defined the cognitive dissonance of youth with the traditional gender scripts of many generations of adults throughout their lives. For them, the lack of a bipolar distribution of family and social roles is unacceptable. The traditional bipolar roles of men and women are characterized by emotional and cognitive support, while the interchangeable gender life roles, especially in entrepreneurial ambitions and new views on life are considered derivatives of the influence of mass media, which propagates peculiar romantic same-sex relationships, pop culture of money, a new perception of global events. Hence, the fascination of youth with new technologies, artificial intelligence, new visions of gender and sexuality. Baby Вoomers consider the strict bipolar distribution of gender roles a revolutionary order of organizing family and social life, and the technological boom as a destructive factor that undermined the centuries-old roots of society organization, including distrust toward the experience of the older generation with their traditional gender scripts throughout life.