Generational clashes on feminism, politics and leadership are heating up, creating a perfect storm for the 2016 election year and new dilemmas for women (and men) in the workplace. Case in point:
- In October the Daily Beast published an article, “Why Millennial Feminists Don’t Like Hillary,” in which Millennial reporter Lizzie Crocker dismissed Clinton, a Baby Boomer, as “too outdated and mainstream” on women's issues.
- This week, Los Angeles Times columnist and self-proclaimed Generation Xer Meghan Daum countered Crocker’s views in an Op-Ed piece entitled, “Yes, Millennials, Hillary Clinton is a Feminist.”
Regardless of what you think about feminism and politics, this multigenerational debate represents an intersection of conflicting generational norms and values about what it means and takes to be a female leader in the 21st Century. When translated to the workplace, these conflicting sentiments reveal profound generational differences among working women and challenges for the employers who struggle to recruit and retain them.
We are entering of a new era of gender definitions and issues. The impact to the workforce and to companies tasked with attracting, engaging and developing women leaders, should not be overlooked. For more insight on this issue, please feel free to download my whitepapers, “Millennials Don’t Want to Lean In: Why Generational Differences Among Working Women Matter to Companies” and “The Working Mother of the Future: How Demographics Will Force Change for Women at Work,” or contact me directly.
Amy Hirsh Robinson, Principal, Interchange Group
Workforce Strategies for the New Economy
