Gen Z and the changing face of work devotion

• In Event: 50220 - Section on Organizations, Occupations, and Work Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 14: Work-Life

Abstract

This paper explores how today’s college-educated young people think about the proper role of work in their lives as they embark on careers in managerial/professional occupations. Extant literature shows that a macroeconomic context of unstable employment and low state support generally drive professionals to be overworked in order to attain financial security. But trends in popular discourse, such as "quiet quitting," and recent scholarship showing that Gen Z is prioritizing work-life balance in their work, suggest that a culture change may be afoot. Using insights from 53 in-depth interviews with 20-25 year old advanced college students and graduates in the U.S., I explore the connection between work devotion and financial insecurity, and argue that concerns about financial insecurity may produce different effects for workers at the beginning of their careers than it does for more advanced professionals. In an effort to resolve these concerns, many young people pursue careers that are seen to provide financial security but are not a source of personal meaning. These young people seek to optimize the distribution of their time and energy among a portfolio of redirect their efforts to seek personal meaning away from their current occupations, in strategies that are highly gendered. Young men are more likely to use investment and other entrepreneurial activities as a means to achieve “financial independence,” freeing themselves from the need to work for pay. Young women are more likely to seek working arrangements that provide for work-life balance, including by tempering their career ambitions. Because both strategies emphasize optimizing time and energy rather than performing devotion or commitment, they may lead to trends such as “quiet quitting.”

Author

• Zosia Cooper, University of California-San Diego