Another day, another article bashing the generation not so affectionately known as the ‘millennials’. With their live’s existing at a time of great social and economic struggles and the advance of technology to a level unpredicted by many, not a day goes past that the mass media declares they are the sole reason for the decline in the sale of diamonds, or they spend far too much money on avocados and take away coffee to ever get on the property ladder. Economists, sociologists, and those with a brain can easily see how misleading and damaging these articles actually are making a millennial synonymous with being lazy or a snowflake. Rather than examine and address the real reasons that attaining a mortgage has become a far-off dream to many, it is much easier and lucrative to create a piece of writing that gains traction and sparks feelings whatever they may be. And, this article by the CNBC is no difference.
It was only two months ago that British companies were forced to publish their gender pay gaps, but with the headline ‘Millennial women are 'worried,' 'ashamed' of out-earning boyfriends and husbands’, one could be forgiven for thinking that these are two different reports are from two very different cultural eras.
CNBC’s article starts with the statistic that in 2015, 38% of American women earned more money than their husbands, a huge achievement for American women, and the wages of women as a whole. A century ago it would’ve been unthinkable for any woman to out-earn her husband, or in many cases even attain paid for work outside of the house.
The article continues describing the evident cultural disparity between women and men when it comes to wages and childcare, continuing with Ashley C Ford from Refinery29’s who said “Unlike the traditional trajectory of men who earn more, or are sole financial providers, most of these millennial women either believe out-earning their partners is temporary, or lament the idea that it may not be”. I do truly find this hard to believe. Although I have not conducted any studies, making my opinions purely speculative, the pressures faced by Millennial’s in 2018 are about making enough money to survive due to the rising costs of living and ensuring their gender does not dictate the amount of money then end up earning.
By choosing to start the debate by looking at why women traditionally do not earn as much as their male counterparts and the cultural barriers to many women being forced to conduct the majority of childcare, we can start proposing useful solutions that stand to benefit thousands of women.
For CNBC to conclude on Ford’s quote stating that "the overwhelming majority of millennial women breadwinners don't believe the men in their lives should feel emasculated by the gap in their income” shows how they themselves acknowledge their headline is merely designed to gain traction despite the contents of the piece. This type of disingenuous ‘journalism’ deserves to resined to the history books, allowing our women to be out there in the world making their mark, not the butt of an ill-conceived joke.
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