My Brussels dispatch: From Gen Z focus groups to speaking at the EU Commission

Dear Readers,

Welcome new subscribers, I’m Dr Eliza Filby, a historian of generations who explores how society is changing through the prism of age, tackling how each generation are evolving as consumers, workers and citizens.?Helping you feel out of touch and up-to-date in equal measure….?

In this week’s edition:

• Brussels Dispatch: From Gen Z focus groups to speaking at the EU Commission
• Are babies the new luxury?
• Why is Gen Z deconstructing marketing campaigns?

(yep, that’s me in the window)

I spent two days in Brussels last week speaking at a series of events and media interviews organised by?Full Circle?including a lecture to staff at the European Commission. One quick conclusion was that all the anger directed at the UK in the wake of the Brexit vote has now turned to pity for our *supposed* plight. Group together the Queen’s passing, continual Brexit divisions and the fact that the UK has the lowest growth of any country in the G7 and it is little wonder that most of the world thinks we are going through some kind of existential crisis. My response? To go on the defensive. I didn’t dispute their diagnosis but I tried my best to paint a picture of the upside, in the hope that things can only get better. (I hope I’m right).

Two-days of speaking on the changing working patterns and generational research yielded some interesting perspectives and questions, especially on the parental preference that operates in the workplace and the importance of understanding the needs and desires of those who choose not to have children. The childfree perspective at work is only going to increase as paternity leave gains greater ground while fewer women have children.

In an ageing society, eldercare will inevitably become more and more of an issue (it is by the way already an issue for?most?families). One questioner however remarked on the difficulties of this dilemma for those working abroad and whose parents are hundreds or thousands of kilometres away (the reality for most employees at the Commission). In truth, the complexities of eldercare and how governments, companies and families navigate it are only beginning to be realised.

The most fascinating aspect of the tour however was a workshop I conducted with 14-17 year olds, all living in Brussels and attending the international school (hardly representative but it yielded an interesting discussion nonetheless).

As those on the cusp of Gen Z/Alpha, I wanted to know what they were thinking about their education, future, tech and politics. One boy took delight in telling me how he had already used ChatGPT for his Spanish homework and got an A grade. I asked, do you not think you are somehow cheating or undermining your education? ‘No, we get so much homework anyway and sometimes it makes sense to use it’ came the reply. Wise words. I can’t help but think that by relying on AI to do his homework this 14 year old was better preparing himself for the workforce of tomorrow.

Somewhat surprisingly, none of the participants seemed that bothered by climate change, but they did believe that they would see a full energy transition in their lifetime. ‘Hypocrisy’ was the word that was universally uttered when I mentioned Gen Z’s green credentials. Forget fast fashion and flying, Gen Z should look at their own tech dependency and what it is doing to the planet. Gen Alpha are already starting to critique the cohort ahead of them in their early twenties. Neither were these teens that taken with the metaverse and virtual reality: ‘I want connection’ commented one girl'; ‘I like the way on your phone you can multi-task - eat, watch TV, etc.- I don’t want a fully immersive experience’ commented another.

On the work front, these participants seemed to be attracted to quite traditional industries - medicine, engineering - perhaps reflecting their age and stage in life - as is too often said, the jobs this generation will do probably haven’t been invented yet. But perhaps the most remarkable was the perception of their parents’ poor work/life balance. ‘I wish I saw my parents more but I know they have no time and I know they love me’ was one reply, another spoke of how much she enjoyed Fridays because her mum didn’t work and was very chilled out. It was the best justification for the four-day week I’ve heard.

News

A form of my?previous Substack?on Prosecco Mums appeared in the?New Statesman…..

Listen to the latest episode of?The Shift?where Jimmy and I discuss the missing 500k in the workforce.

People to Follow

Rebecca Achieng Ajulu-Bushell, the CEO of #10,000BlackInterns initiative. The organisation is opening the doors and broadening the horizons of young Black talent with paid internships across different industries. If you don’t know about it yet, you should. Rebecca is not only CEO but is also the first black woman to swim for GB and publishing a book next year.

Stuff I’ve Read

• Is having babies the new luxury??check out this distinctly middle class?thread?on the issue. I’ve heard it said that ‘plants are the new pets.. Pets are the new kids.. & kids are like exotic animals: you need to be crazy or rich to have them.’
• Is taxing inheritance a good idea?when the Bank of Mum and Dad are so generous??Interesting read?on this issue from Chris Giles (P/W)
• How can we get older people back to work??Camilla Cavendish?makes a convincing argument here. Clue: it’s not about tax breaks. (P/W)
• How Gen Z broke the fourth wall of marketing.?TikTok is drowning in videos that deconstruct marketing campaigns. Marketing to Gen Z just got harder.

Feast for the Senses

Listening:??to the edits of Season 2 of my podcast?It’s All Relative?launching on 23rd February. Each week I sit down with a leading expert to find the answer to a question I want answering. Coming up we have ‘Why are fewer millennials choosing to have babies? How do the generations differ in China? How will Gen Z shape politics in the 2020s? More info soon…..

Reading:?This Is Not Who I Am: Our Authenticity Obsession?by Emily Bootle on our modern obsession with authenticity. I’m hoping that once we realise that the modern craving for ‘authenticity’ is bunk, we will go back to using a word with more weight: ‘integrity’.

Watching:?White Lotus, like everyone else. I should say Season 2 has the best portrait of millennial middle class status games I’ve seen depicted on screen. Also, Season 1 beautifully nails the hypocrisy of affluent American Gen Z.

Visiting:?Spain and the Hispanic World?at the Royal Academy - food for the creative soul.

and FINALLY…

It was only a matter of time (R/T @drjoergstorm)