Stereotypes - Debunked or Confirmed?

-
            Every generation has associated stereotypes. The millennial generation is perceived as “a generation raised by helicopter parents, who heaped them with unearned praise; one which hardly remembers a world without the instantaneous gratifications of the internet” (Seeing beyond the Tired Millennial Stereotypes, 2018). Thus, millennials are thought to be entitled and impatient. Other stereotypes of millennials claim that the generation is tech-savvy and dedicated to multitasking. Millennials are also seen as “less interested in conventional careers and much less loyal to a single employer than the generations that proceeded them” (Seeing beyond the Tired Millennial Stereotypes, 2018).  
            Although these stereotypes are widely accepted by various generations (including millennials) and sources, they are hard to back up. In fact, “A large meta-analysis […] found that the differences between the generations were ‘moderate to small, essentially zero in many cases’” (Seeing beyond the Tired Millennial Stereotypes, 2018). The generalizations made about millennials disappear when closely examined. The characteristics given to millennials may simply be those of young adults. One source sums this thought up nicely, saying, “What is left of the millennial generation, once the empty stereotypes are stripped away? Little more than a large group of young, or at least youngish, adults. By virtue of their stage in life, they have particular hopes, worries, challenges and opportunities all worthy of concern and study” (Seeing beyond the Tired Millennial Stereotypes, 2018).  


In the above TED Talk, Ian Abston explains his reasons for why stereotypes about millennials are more wrong than true (and then focuses on how cities can grow to benefit millennials).  

  
Figure 1 (Stein, 2013) 
          There are more articles coming out that aim to disprove many of the stereotypes made about millennials. One of the articles, “The 14 Most Destructive Millennial Myths Debunked by Data” states the stereotypes and then explains how they may be false (Norton, 2017). Distinguishing between what characteristics belong to the millennial generation from what characteristics are simply those of young adults is hard. However, new data (from the last five years) shows that there are varying differences between the millennial generation and older generations, which confirms rather than debunks the stereotypes. Figure 1 shows the cover of the Time magazine issue that included an article where stereotypes were supported by data. Employers should be aware of stereotypes when evaluating employee performance or hiring new workers.  

Popular posts from this blog

Introduction & About the Authors

-
Image
            Welcome to  Millennials in the Workplace ! The purpose of this blog is to provide background information on millennials, and how they are viewed in the workplace today. The blog is  grounded in research from library databases and attempts to draw connections between the stereotypes made about millennials and the statistics that may or may not align with the stereotypes. The three authors of the blog are Kayla Carew, Alexandra Vincent, and Brianna Purcell.  The following paragraphs  aim to introduce the reader to each of the authors.              Kayla Carew is a rising junior at Saint Michael’s College in Winooski, VT. She is from Jericho, VT. Kayla has an intended double major of Mathematics and Secondary Education with a minor in Business. On campus, Kayla is involved in “Go Baby Go” – an  organization  that rewires Power Wheels cars for kids with physical disabilities – and int...
Read more

The Mental Repercussions of Growing Up as a Millennial

-
Image
Figure 1  ( Yarnt on )                  With  all  the stress of weak economic engagement, millennials are destined to have a life full of worry and poor health.  To elaborate,  No one would ever be able to predict what our mental health and well-being will look like in 20 years, but it's likely that we'll remain a generation characterized by anxiety and mental health—particularly considering our openness when it comes to discussing these topics. But we should be concerned by the prevalence of mental illness in our 20s .  (Ewens, 2016)               The presence of social media and our constant contact coupled with economic deficiency leaves this generation in a severe slump. While Gen Y’s work tirelessly and aimlessly, they keep in mind that they are attempting to save for the future, which is not as successful as they had hoped. “We'll...
Read more

Difference Between the Millennials and Other Generations

-
Depending  on  when someone w a s  b orn, they  a re cl a ssified into  a  cert a in gener a tion. There is the World W a r II gener a tion, followed  b y  the  b a b y   b oom gener a tion, gener a tion X,  a nd the  millenni a l gener a tion. Over the p a st couple of ye a rs, there h a s  b een much de b a te  a s to wh a t is so different  a b out the  millenni a l gener a tion. E a ch gener a tion h a s their own speci a l ch a r a cteristics they  b ring into the world,  b oth positive  a nd neg a tive. They h a ve v a rious communic a tion preferences, typic a l  b eh a viors in the workpl a ce,  a nd w a ys in which they like to do d a ily  a ctivities (H a ll, 2016).      Figure 1. Le a rning Ch a r a cteristics  b y  Gener a tions  ( Lifvend a hl , 2008)   In Figure 1,  a  m a jor le a rning ch a r a ct...
Read more