The world according to Y: Inside the new adult generation, by Rebecca Huntley
Allen & Unwin
This review, by Kate Gross, first appeared in Youth Studies Australia, v.25, n.4, 2006 (p.58).
'Optimistic, idealistic, empowered, ambitious, confident, committed and passionate'. That's how author Rebecca Huntley describes the current batch of 18- to 25-year-olds known to market researchers and sociologists alike as 'Generation Y'.
In The world according to Y, Huntley examines the values and expectations of Generation Y from her position as a member of Generation X, offering valuable insights into the 'largest youth generation in history'. During her time as a university tutor in 2003 (Huntley holds a PhD in Gender Studies), Huntley began to observe the 'striking differences' between the attitudes, values and expectations of her young students and those of her own generation. This good-looking book is the fruit of Huntley's subsequent investigation into Gen Y, informed by current academic and market research and her own extensive interviews with over 50 Australian Gen-Yers. The world according to Y is Huntley's attempt to 'make an early call on what this generation is like and what it will become'.
Like any generational cohort, Gen-Yers are a product of their times. So what's so unique about them? According to Huntley, 'freedom and uncertainty are the yin and yang of the Y world'. Despite being 'the first generation to fully experience divorce, downsizing and user-pays education' from birth, the Boomer-shaped world in which Gen-Yers were born and raised provided them with a relatively comfortable and happy childhood. However, the Boomers' unrelenting grip on culture, wealth and the labour market have made this generation's transition to adulthood far less certain than it was for their predecessors. But because Gen-Yers view insecurity as a natural part of life, they have been able to respond to uncertainty with optimism and resilience, unlike their characteristically cynical Gen X older siblings. For Gen Y, uncertainty equals freedom, offering them the flexibility to travel, change jobs and enjoy life while delaying activities such as marriage, parenthood and home ownership.
Huntley identifies the mobile phone as an icon of Generation Y and their values. As a cultural artefact, the mobile phone represents the choice, flexibility, freedom, connectedness and reliance upon technology that are the hallmarks of the Gen-Y lifestyle. In the chapters of this book, Huntley examines how Gen Y's experiences of freedom and uncertainty have shaped their attitudes towards friends, family and romantic relationships, feminism, male identity and gender equality, sex and sexuality, marriage, employment, politics, body image and media stereotypes, consumerism, spirituality and, finally, their attitude towards the future. From this, we see that Generation Y is a generation of contradictions. They value marriage but are happy to experiment with multiple partners and sexual experiences before considering it for themselves. While placing a high premium on choice, they are motivated by the desire to 'fit in' that they have absorbed from the ubiquitous consumer culture in which they were raised. As the generation that will shape society over the coming decades, Huntley therefore concludes that Gen Y possesses the potential for both 'radical transformation and terrible conformism'.
Amid speculation about a looming inter-generational power struggle between Baby Boomers, Gen-Xers and Gen-Yers for the right to control society and shape the future (most cheekily epitomised by 25-year-old Australian author Ryan Heath's 2006 ode to Baby Boomers Please just f* off, it's our turn now: Holding Baby Boomers to account), Huntley expresses the hope that her book will generate 'a productive conversation between the generations about our shared future' by providing readers with an understanding of the unique worldview of Generation Y. The warmth and enthusiasm with which Huntley writes about her subjects, combined with her accessible writing style, make this book a fitting starting point to such a conversation.
Huntley's perceptive observations are complemented by well-chosen facts and statistics, comments and anecdotes from her interview subjects, incisive pop culture references and personal insights from her encounters with Gen-Yers during excursions to 'Gen Y' locations such as Hillsong Church and Oxfam's International Youth Parliament. Engaging, informative and well written, The world according to Y is recommended reading for anyone wanting to understand the inner workings of the current group of emerging adults.
Source: Youth Studies Australia, v.25, n.4, 2006 (p.58).