Gen Z's success expectations have a big gender gap
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Gen Z men think they need to earn about 15% more to be "financially successful" than young women do, per a new study digging into the thorny question of what "making it" really means.
Why it matters: Even at a young age, the gender wage gap is driving very different perceptions of need and success.
- It also speaks to Gen Z's broad shift to the political right, as young men in particular feel disillusioned by the economy and what it offers them.
Driving the news: YPulse, a youth research organization, surveyed 1,000 people ages 13-39 and asked them "How much would you need to make as an annual salary (e.g. the money you earn at a job per year) for you to be financially successful?"
- It was prompted by a widely reported study last year, published by financial services company Empower, that showed a huge gap between Gen Z and other generations in the definition of a success-making salary.
By the numbers: The male respondents to YPulse's survey, on average, estimated they'd need a salary of $69,500 a year to feel successful.
- That's almost 16% more than the roughly $58,600 average response from women.
Between the lines: According to YPulse, the gender pay gap plays a significant role in the disparity.
- Women have suppressed expectations because they know they're likely to earn less in the workforce.
- That gender wage gap is actually widening, per Census data, and matches almost exactly the YPulse findings.
