Survey: a generation not participating in the recession

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  1

  zackers

  01/20/10 | Report as spam

  Were these women all employed?

  You didn't say whether or not the surveyed women were all employed. For the purpose of determining whether or not the current younger generation is worried long-term, it matters, as well as hearing what blue-collar workers are saying.
  
  However, speaking as someone who lived through the late '70s and early '80s as a young professional, I'm not surprised. They know they've got a lot of time and a long career ahead of them. Most also probably feel that they control their destiny, which middle-aged workers who have seen a few layoffs during their careers probably don't feel.
  
  As far as what women want these days, it's a bit more specific than when I was young, but pretty much along the lines of "not selling out" and being able to "do your own thing".

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  2

  Joe McKendrick

  01/20/10 | Report as spam

  RE: Were these women all employed?

  zackers: Yes, as these were all fell-time employed young female professionals that were interviewed.
  
  There may also be more optimism among this group, as it appears that men were harder hit by the recent recession. Heather and I both discussed the disparities in cutbacks a few months back:
  
  http://www.smartplanet.com/business/blog/business-brains/should-managers-consider-new-diversity-policies-protecting-men/1517/
  
  http://www.smartplanet.com/business/blog/business-brains/is-work-life-balance-off-balance/1445/

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  crespin79

  01/20/10 | Report as spam

  RE: Survey: a generation not participating in the recession

  Interesting article....women have come a long way, despite unethical practices by many men. Men and women should operate as a team, with synergy in mind, instead of being threatened by the presence or performance of the opposite sex. We need to increase overall welfare.
  
  The social, cultural, and political attitudes of modern society have enabled women to seize some power from men, despite being treated unfairly by unethical leaders, who continue to reinforce the "glass ceiling." Women understand that fruitful conversations promote sound business relationships and teamwork, thus contributing to an improvement in the bottom line.
  
  Women are usually well organized, as homemakers and professional employees. They often regard their fellow employees as family and take time to ascertain their personal needs. Competition is strange to most women because they were groomed for caring, rather than winning!
  
  Fay Weldon, a writer, stated, ?Worry less about what other people think of you, and more about what you think about them.? A former mayor of Ottawa once said, ?Whatever women do, they must do twice as well as men to be thought of as half as good. Luckily, this is not dif?cult!?
  
  Women should focus on a fearless, diplomatic, heads-on approach, instead of being intoxicated by power, intimidated or taken undue advantage of.
  
  For free abridged versions of my books on leadership, ethics, teamwork, motivation, women, bullying and sexual harassment, trade unions, etc., write to crespin79@hotmail.com.
  
  Maxwell Pinto, Business Author
  http://www.strategicbookpublishing.com/Management-TidbitsForTheNewMillenium.html
  
  Maxwell Pinto, Business Author

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  4

  william.brewer@...

  01/20/10 | Report as spam

  RE: Survey: a generation not participating in the recession

  I'm sorry but isn't this story a bit distorted.
  
  Of course a certain segment "is looking past this recession." Data shows the burden of unemployment is falling disproportionately upon males who are suffering 75% of the layoffs.
  
  Shouldn't that be the real story here.
  
  Women exceed males in EVERY quality of life indicator and have been for decades. The present recession has accelerated the inequity.
  
  No sale.

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  5

  Morsing

  01/20/10 | Report as spam

  I am not responsible for the stupidity of my peers.

  Women in that age bracket also largely believe that voting can change the world. Sometimes, you have to take it with a grain of salt.
  
  William, what segment are you looking at, though? Are you looking at all people in the US? Of course, then: most women drop out of the workforce permanently or for prolonged periods of time, leading men to hold the majority of jobs. The layoffs suck for everyone, but you have to remember that jobs suck for everyone except the people at the very top, who don't have to have one.
  
  As a feminist, I don't believe that women are people too; I believe that men are people, too. I wouldn't suggest that the way to solve rape as a cultural pandemic would be to rape one man every few seconds. It's not just about equality, but about what direction you're going, too. I don't think that we need to fix or re-distribute the pain of the recession (and soon-to-come depression - hearken back to your Economics 101 texts, which told you that depressions were an inevitable and necessary part of capitalism); I think we need to eliminate the need for it.
  
  So whenever you like, you can come and I'll share the fruit in my orchard with you.

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  6

  Morsing

  01/20/10 | Report as spam

  Addendum.

  I also wanted to note - the most depressing part of this article is their optimism, because it will be their biggest obstacle to their ability to enact real change for themselves.

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  7

  intrepidium

  01/20/10 | Report as spam

  RE: Survey: a generation not participating in the recession

  I believe the previous commentator Morsing alluded to this: I wonder about the nature of their optimism i.e. whether it's based on their belief in the resumption of the status quo and faith in their ability to trounce the devil they know, or based on their sense of new empowerment in the face of new/expected changes in the workplace, which may arguably be much more tenuous ...

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  Craigmeister68

  01/21/10 | Report as spam

  Interesting Responses to Interesting Article

  I find it fascinating how people approach topics differently. The idea that the recession would "cow" a generation says a lot about the author and how she feels about humans of both genders (not very highly it would seem). Why does she assume that people would respond that way? My view is that if people are already "cowed" by an entitlement mentality, they will be further "cowed" by the circumstances. Those who have already taken to the believe that they alone are responsible for their standard of living will be smarter about their career choices and further challenged to work harder, smarter, etc, and understand that life works in cycles - ups and downs, birth, living, death, for example. They understand there will be an up-turn eventually.
  
  For the commentors who susgest that a positive thing such as optimism is a hinderance - you must be such bitter people to live in such an upside-down world. Women in America do not live in the world of statistics. They seek to make money for their families and further their own careers, not a political agenda. Their successes are peronal victories, not "on behalf of women everywhere."
  
  As for their optimism they see that this is 2010, not 1960. They see that now more than ever being knowledgeable and experienced, being qualified, is more important than gender. This personal empowerment SHOULD BE APPLAUDED. Instead, we get some sad, bitter, self-reflective, self-important nonsense.

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  kingtj

  02/03/10 | Report as spam

  RE: Survey: a generation not participating in the recession

  My problem with this article is the suggestion that a certain demographic can somehow escape participation in the recession! As a nation, we're all in this together. The people who don't share that viewpoint tend to be the "parasites" who keep their heads ducked in the proverbial sand by taking away the just earnings of others.
  
  A true optimist might say, "Times are tough now, but things go in cycles. So I'm confident things will be better for me in the long-run, if I do my best to hang on right now, and keep prepared for the future." He or she WOULDN'T say, "I don't CARE what the news says, and what those around me say they're experiencing! I think they're all WRONG because I'm able to leverage my position in society to get more than my share right now!"
  
  More to the point, I've observed quite a few women who have the luxury of searching for that "ideal job for them", simply because they're living with a man who is paying most/all of their bills for them in the meantime. Still others got an instant "leg up" when they married into money, got a divorce, and a good attorney ensured they keep getting paid a monthly portion of the former husband's income. All of those cases aside, I think we're entering an era where women attaining middle or upper management positions are playing favorites with the people they hire, too. Some are on a "mission to fix gender inequality" by preferentially hiring other women now, regardless of who is most qualified for a given job.
  
  I've witnessed this in my own field of I.T., actually ... where women I.T. managers are hiring disproportionately large numbers of female applicants, compared to the norm for the industry. I don't buy into the idea that male managers were always "preferentially hiring other males" so now there's some need to "turn the tables". Rather, the guys I knew in I.T. would have *killed* to finally have other intelligent, qualified women working in their departments. The problem was, they just weren't that easy to find! Most women didn't choose that career path....