Gen-Z challenges

Satyakam Ray

The entire population has been divided into four prominent demographics. The aspiration, opportunity, and challenges differ from each other. The demographic variations among the people decide the perspective for each generation.

Types of Demographies:

  • Baby Boomers– Those who are born between 1946 to 1964. The age range is 57-75 years. Primarily those who are retired or about to be retired belong to this group. In the Indian context, we call them senior citizens.
  • Gen X– Those who are born between 1965 to 1980. The age range is 41-56 years. They have well-settled families. They run successful careers, supposedly.
  • Gen Y- Those who are born between 1981 to 1996. The age range is 25-40 years. In other words, they are called millennials. Many have started their careers in this demography. They want to create a family or already have started one.
  • Gen ZThose who are born between 1997 to 2015. The age range is 6-24 years. Mostly fresh graduates from college or persons starting their career belong to this group. Also, people in the age range of 25-30 years are called zillenials.

Gen-Z problems:

The younger generation of Gen-Z is born with a gadget-savvy world and abundant resources to learn and grow. But still, they face problems that the previous generations didn’t meet in their time.

  • Economic crisis– The tumultuous international market has led to many job losses in formal and informal sectors. The economic growth is at rock bottom and has caused much anxiety among the freshly job-searching junta. Those already earning money are now in money-saving mode as the future is uncertain. Unlike millennials, who value the experience more, Gen-Z is more concerned about the immediate consumption of materialistic values.
  • Recession– AI and machine learning have become the primary concern for job cuts across the technical Domains. As a society that has already digitalized, job creation for manual labor in other sectors is challenging. The concept of universal basic income will come into the picture as many Gen-Z will become jobless despite having educational degrees. They must be more adaptable to learn and relearn for survival in cut-throat competition. 
  • Health care– With new diseases like corona and the emergence of old fungal infections, Gen-Z people are more prone to getting ill. Lifestyle change, consumption of less nutritious foods, and stress due to career result in poor health records among Gen-Z people. 
  • Climate change– The global temperature is rising daily, and so is the sea level as glaciers have started melting. It won’t be surprising if many modern cities soon take watery graves in the sea. The ozone layer depletion, increased carbon dioxide emission, the rise of concrete jungles, and global pollution have already dwindled the planet’s sustainability. Those will become reasons for future crises. Young activist Greta Thunberg is doing her bit to educate the world to save Gen-Z’s future.
  • Resource scarcity– Shortly, the non-renewable energy resources will be depleted, leaving Gen-Z with scarce resources. The essential renewable energies like air and water will be so polluted that reusing them will be very costly. According to Einstein, the third world war will happen for the race of essential resources. Gen-Z should be more sensible in preserving the resources for future use.
  • Social fabric change– In the 21st century, extreme ideologies have spread their wings a bit further, thus endangering the fabric of social norms and democratic principles. The mass shooting, racial supremacy doctrines, and social media vulnerability have led to the surge of inclination of Gen-Z people towards violence, intolerance, and hatred.
  • Relationship chaos– Gen-Z people are more prone to experimentation with sexuality from a very young age. As a result, many young girls attain puberty at a surprisingly tender age. While the social norms and structure refrain them from having a relationship, the brat in them ensures them to do so to regain a socially superior position among the peer group. Things have become a new norm among Gen-Z people, from heartbreak to an emotional breakdown at an early age.
  • Addiction issues– Early exposure to the internet has made Gen-Z people think about the sinful culture of party needs. It’s a quintessential social norm- according to them. Teenagers are introduced to addictive substances like drinks, weed, or drugs at these parties. The addiction issues of teenagers across the globe are a reason for concern for health experts.
  • Reduced Attention Span– After growing up using smartphones and other digital paraphernalia, the attention span of Gen-Z has decreased very much. A little bit of buffering or internet shutdown can cause anxiety among youngsters. Listening to long lectures is a matter of the past for most of them. Immediate consumption of information and rapid analysis of the same has become a trait for Gen-Z people.
  • Mental health and aspiration– The need to become the best among the lot has caused much stress and mental health problems among youngsters. High ambition and sky-rocketing aspiration cause mental trauma in the adolescent period.

In time, today’s Gen-Z people will overcome these challenges to ensure a smooth, happy life for themselves. As each older generation has gone through such ups and downs, Gen-Z people have much to catch up with to gain maturity in these matters. 

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