Recent research shows that Gen Z can teach Millenials a thing or two about making the world a little more gender inclusive. According to trend forecasting agency J. Walter Thompson Intelligence, Gen Zers (ages 13 to 20) are much more fluent in queer vocabulary compared to Millennials (ages 21 to 34), and are much more likely to identify themselves somewhere on the non-binary gender spectrum.
Gen Z doesn’t hold back from exploring their sexuality: only 48% of Gen Z said they were no-questions-asked straight, versus 65% of Millennials. Instead, a large portion of Gen Z said they were bisexual to some degree, 35% compared with 24% of Millennials.
And Gen Z doesn’t feel limited to binary genders in other ways, either. They reported that they were less likely to shop for clothes made exclusively for their own gender, more likely to know someone who goes by a gender neutral pronoun such as “ze,” and as a group, they feel very strongly that gender-inclusive bathrooms should be the norm.
In an article by Broadly, Gen Zers who were interviewed pinpointed lifelong, unfettered web access as the tool that’s been most informative in promoting their personal and broader gender awareness. Where gender-confused youth of yesterday may not have known that their experiences weren’t unique, the rich diversity of the web has allowed Gen Z to plug into resources and communities that advance self-discovery to help them identify their sexual niches earlier and faster.
A good sign for things to come.
