The work-life conflict of my generation -- Generation X, or those born between 1965 and 1980 -- has been defined by the unrealistic expectations that women, primarily, have placed on themselves to "have it all": career, marriage, kids, house in the suburbs, etc. Somewhere along the way, "having it all" morphed into "doing it all," a far cry from the liberation our feminist foremothers fought so hard for.
But what of the next generation?
I've been counting on Generation Y, or the Millenials, as they are called -- those born between 1978 and 1995 -- to usher in a new workplace model where employees don't have to be tied to their desks 9 to 5 or slowly climb the corporate ladder of success. After all, these youngins are the iGeneration: tech-savvy, mobile and socially networked. They can complete important work assignments from Starbucks, the playground, hey, even from a hot bubble bath!
If anyone can figure out how to gracefully blend work and home life, it's the Millennials, right?
Wrong.
According to a new study from British consultancy JBA involving almost 25,000 people across 19 countries, much of the perceived wisdom about Gen Y's attitude and approach to work, and work-life balance, needs to be radically rethought.
While we frequently hear that Gen Yers are beating the drum for new working practices -- demanding the freedom to work remotely, make use of the latest "must-have" technologies and communicate with colleagues via social networks rather than face-to-face -- the study found that the reality is very different. In fact, younger staff expressed 15 to 20 percent less desire than their older colleagues to choose their time and place of work -- they actively seek out every opportunity to be in the office in the closest proximity to their boss.
It also found a direct correlation between age and appetite for flexible working. Among older staff, seven out of 10 wanted more choice about their work patterns. But just four out of 10 of their younger colleagues are keen to detach themselves from the office environment.
According to Allison Ells, a 28-year-old regional sales manager from New York City, the tough economy may have something to do with her peers' reluctance to ask for flexible work arrangements.
"Many companies today still do not provide the flexibility and support needed to manage both a career and a family," says Ells, who is engaged and plans to have kids in the next few years. "In this way, it feels that the work-life issues faced by Gen X have not yet been resolved for my generation (Gen Y). Especially in the current economy, where having a job is not to be taken for granted."
What's more, younger staff placed more emphasis on working longer hours in the office and putting work before family than their older colleagues.
Sarah Meager, a 26-year old law student from Boston, looks at her mother's experience as a cautionary tale.
"My mom quit her job as an attorney after having three children," explains Meager. "She was never able to go back to her legal career at the same level. I don't plan to stop working for any period of time when I have kids because I know it will put me at a huge disadvantage career-wise."
Disheartening words from a generation that I had hoped would change the discourse of the work-life debate.
Another myth busted by the report is that Gen Yers are forever demanding new technologies and access to social networks. If anything, they are reticent to ask for such tools for fear that they might be accused of slacking off on the job.
"Listen, these kids are hard workers. They are starting their careers in tough economic times. They have high expectations of where their jobs will lead, but they aren't afraid to put in some hard labor in the early years," says Jake Riley, a recruiter for tech jobs in the Silicon Valley.
The key message from the survey, according to author John Blackwell, is that for all the talk of technological and social revolutions, some things stay the same.
So just like their mothers, Gen Y women may still be stuck between a rock and a hard place for the time being. Yes, they are savvier about what they can realistically expect from the business world, but many still envision a conflict between their dream of having kids and reaching the top of their professions.
The question is, what is the world going to do to help them achieve their goals?
Samantha Parent Walravens is a freelance journalist and mother of four. She is the author of TORN: True Stories of Kids, Career and the Conflict of Modern Motherhood, which was chosen by The New York Times as its first pick for the Motherlode Book Club.
Follow Samantha Parent Walravens on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@nosuperwoman
Joan Williams: Is Work-Life Balance an Economic Necessity?
What happened? One big fat reality check. $$$$$
1. Solve the unemployment crises.
2. Solve the education dilemma with a high (50%) school drop-out rate (70% in big cities).
3. Shrink the healthcare crises caused by lack of illness-prevention and end-of-life care; costing 50% of all healthcare costs; which is 2 trillion dollars.
4. Reduce the cost of managing chronic illness and nursing home which accounts for 75% of healthcare costs and 70% of deaths.
5. Reduce the 50% divorce rate.
6. Reduce the high incidence of depression in adults and children.
7. Reduce the high incidence of stress and stress-related disorders.
8. Decrease the consumption of junk, fast-foods, prepared foods and alcohol.
9. Rediscover the value of family, (near and extended), neighborhood and society.
10. Rediscover the importance of cultural values and ties.
Any one of the above should give us pause to realize what we are doing to ourselves; and how history will judge and evaluate present civilization. Yet long before history judges us, our children and grandchildren will judge us by the type of America we leave them; including the massive debt.
Single earner may be the woman who commonly is the higher earner.
i think people fear losing something -- the reality is I only gained -- i have a massive public park 4 blocks away, 200 acres, a whole lot bigger than any back yard, and I don't have to mow it. I pay city taxes and they clean the streets and curbs. If you live in the suburbs you end up paying more for home owners assoications that tell you to clean your streets and curbs.
Did i mention heat is included in the rent? Loving that on nights like this.
Real estate as a great investment with high growth potential is a MYTH fostered by the home-building, real estate and brokerage industry, banking, and local govt to boost their tax base.
From the greatest generation to the worst, it was bound to happen with the arrognance of the populus following the big win of WWII
Well Meager's mom got it right. Once you decide to have kids, it's not all about you and your career anymore, it's about them too. If you can't "sacrifice" a few years to raise them, then please do them and the rest of us a favor and don't have any.
Now with difficult economic times and scarcity of jobs, the Gen Y'ers are confronted by the same realities that confronted all of those adults before their time . . . WELCOME TO THE REALITY OF LIFE.
i personally see big wars involving a draft in the near future, and i hope i am wrong. if i am right i hope the country can unite to realize how wrong an idea that is. RIght now gen y is dying in the middle east so people can drive suvs -- thats really disturbing and people are too willing to ignore it.