They aim for economic and professional fulfillment and are less interested in starting a family: this is the portrait of young people that emerges from research by Generationship 2024, the observatory on the new generations of the Unipol Group, which analyzes the socio-cultural situation of young people in Italy . Studying (82%), having a career (84%), having a secure job (81%) and saving (79%) are the main priorities today for Gen Z, i.e. those born between 1995 and 2010, and Millennials, those born between the early 1980s and the mid-1990s. Getting married or living together? They are no longer so, given that the percentage of those who would like to start a family drops to 45% and that of those who would like to have children to 42%. And it is not the priorities that change, but also the motivations: for example, as regards having children, we go from “not being able to not wanting to”, a position that is no longer considered taboo.
«Family continues to be an objective for the vast majority of young people but it is no longer an independent variable: it must harmonize with the other demands of life: prolonged education, precariousness and youth unemployment, low wages, expectations of self-realization at work, and so on”, the research finds. «After the Covid two-year period and the subsequent hyperinflation crisis, we have entered a phase of greater stability, in which young people’s attention may have shifted to the creation of wealth. From this perspective, the formation of a new family can be perceived as an obstacle to achieving these goals.”
It is then interesting to note how, rCompared to last year, the percentage of girls between 16 and 35 who have one of their most important goals is to increase by 42%. obtain a degree. For men the value increases by only 17%. Women also attach greater importance to job stability (+40% versus +11% of men) and to career (+39% versus +15%). They are also less interested than last year in getting married (-55% vs -38% men) or having children (-58% vs -41% men). And again in the field of bonds and relationships, the research shows how the new generations – facilitated by the Internet and social media – perceive a more sexually open society, with an increase in occasional relationships (72%) and greater acceptance of personal preferences (67% ). Still, they are increasing romantic or sexual relationships born on social media (not for Gen Z, where the figure is decreasing: 34% in 2023 versus 31% in 2024). Furthermore, 68% of Gen Z and Millennials say they feel pressured by unattainable aesthetic models promoted by social media, which fuel insecurities and anxieties related to body image.
The study then offers a detailed picture of the main transformations that have affected Italian children during 2024. «Tensions between genders are destined to grow: Today’s young women want to take control of their lives and question the role society assigns to them. They want a better education, a good job, despite often being at a disadvantage, and the possibility of self-realization – the research finds – And they are no longer willing to subordinate these objectives to their role as mothers and wives”. Regardless of gender, uncertainty persists regarding the global context and macroeconomic dynamics: for example, the motivation to change jobs (-5% compared to 2023) and the intention to emigrate (-22% from 2022) decline. .
