11 Reasons Gen Z Doesn't Want To Listen To Their Elders Anymore
Respect is a two-way street.
Krakenimages.com | Shutterstock.com While it might be difficult to contextualize for everyone amid generational resentment and tensions, Gen Z’s collective challenge against traditional beliefs like “respecting your elders” isn’t an excuse for them to lead with entitlement or disrespect. Instead, many of the reasons Gen Z doesn’t want to listen to their elders anymore revolves around their lack of trust — they’re no longer blindly following along with social norms at the expense of their autonomy and activism, but offering respect to others when they feel equally understood and heard.
From the workplace, where intergenerational tensions tend to flourish, according to a study from the Work, Aging, and Retirement journal, to familial relationships, it’s important for everyone to recognize why Gen Z has been labeled a “change-making generation.” Not only are they challenging social norms and beliefs like “hustle culture” or the stigma of singlehood, they’re unpacking phrases like “respect your elders” that’ve encouraged people to blindly suppress their discomfort and tolerate misbehavior for decades.
Here are 11 reasons Gen Z doesn’t want to listen to their elders anymore
1. They’re battling generational resentment
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From battling an affordability crisis to grappling with job market changes, it’s not surprising that the resentment between younger generations like Gen Z or millennials and their older counterparts is fueled by conflict they’re dealing with in their personal lives.. Especially when many of the things Gen Z values and prioritizes most in their life — from sustainability to technology — are also the things older generations like baby boomers vehemently disapprove or disdain, resentment is bound to spread.
While they may not be going out of their way to acknowledge this resentment or the tension that’s subtly grown between them and their older counterparts in their daily lives, it’s certainly one of the many reasons Gen Z doesn’t want to listen to their elders anymore.
2. They believed older generations’ unfulfilled promises
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Many Gen Zers were promised a life of financial stability, freedom, and comfortability by their older grandparents, parents, educators, and authority figures growing up in exchange for following traditional expectations like going to college and investing time, money, and energy into “secure” industries like Corporate America.
However, as they enter adulthood, it’s clear that Gen Z’s been met with nothing but insecurity — battling rising costs and rent, an unstable job market, and corporate expectations and standards that directly challenge their personal beliefs and values.
Contributing to the generational resentment that’s already lingering, these unkept promises and unfulfilled commitments contribute to the many reasons Gen Z doesn’t want to listen to their elders anymore. They feel equally betrayed and lost, trying to navigate the world on their own terms, on top of the debt, uncertainty, and misguided values they’ve been urged to take on in traditional institutions.
3. They don’t feel heard
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Many Gen Z people feel equally offended and disrespected by older generations’ misguided characterizations of their generation — labelling them as entitled, lazy, or difficult for challenging the traditional stereotypes and norms they’ve learned to thrive alongside. Outside of cliched language and name-calling, one of the reasons Gen Z doesn’t want to listen to their elders anymore is because they don’t feel heard or understood.
Their older parents, teachers, and bosses grew up in a different time, so the unsolicited advice and passive aggressive complaints they make about them simply don’t apply. Gen Zer’s are coping with and navigating a world that Gen Xers and baby boomers will never understand, at least from a perspective of being a young adult crafting their life.
A basic level of understanding and respect can go a long way, even amid generational tensions and resentment, because feeling heard is the key to building better connections and a sense of important trust.
4. They’re less comfortable with authority
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Many Gen Zers already harbor distrust with traditional authority figures and institutions, especially having grown up amid economic turmoil and unkept promises of traditional routes for success. A survey of managers from Resume Builder reflects their disdain, revealing that nearly 75% of workplace leaders find Gen Z “difficult to work with.”
While it’s obviously still possible for Gen Zers to nourish and grow respectful and trusting relationships with older generations and authority figures, many lead with skepticism — putting their own demands, needs, and boundaries ahead of their misguided societal obligations to “respect their elders” without reservation.
5. They struggle to converse about differing opinions
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According to cultural expert Lawrence R. Samuel, it’s not a new trend for younger generations like Gen Z to want to distance themselves from older demographics like baby boomers, in fact, it’s common for young people to want to separate themselves from their parents’ generation. Kids grow up in an entirely different cultural context than their parents, which leads them to cultivate differing opinions, beliefs, and experiences.
However, it’s still possible to maintain a respectful relationship into adulthood between differing generations, as long as there’s mutual understanding and active listening. One of the reasons Gen Z doesn’t want to listen to their elders anymore is because they don’t feel heard or respected when discussing differing beliefs — especially those that are integrated into their societal experience and identity, like gender expression, sociopolitical beliefs, or climate change.
Without a safe middle ground to respectfully exchange ideas and express differing opinions and beliefs, Gen Z would prefer to “protect their peace” and invest in relationships and conversations that empower and uplift them.
6. Most advice doesn’t feel relevant anymore
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While baby boomers and Gen Xers certainly have their own expertise and experience to offer that can be incredibly helpful for Gen Zers navigating adulthood, they largely grew up in a societal context that no longer exists. From making long-term investments, to finding a job, starting a family, or even practicing self-care, the experiences that baby boomers had — outside of a global pandemic, our modern digital age, and social media — aren’t necessarily relevant for Gen Z.
Of course, coupled with the occasional entitlement some baby boomers feel alongside expressing these “superior” ideas and encouraging young people to take their advice, Gen Zers can’t help but feel disrespected and unheard.
7. They’re coping with parental resentment
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Coupled with the accessibility social media has presented around discussions linking childhood trauma and adult struggles, it’s not surprising that many Gen Z adults are harboring resentment towards older generations with a disdain for “no contact” trends or a spotlight on toxic parental influences.
Of course, having supportive and open-minded discussions around childhood trauma isn’t always comfortable — especially for adult children and parents whose experiences don’t always align. However, for Gen Zers going no-contact with their parents or struggling to find a healthy balance discussing childhood trauma with them, being met with resistance and criticism from other baby boomers or Gen Xers can feel disorienting and dismissive.
A lot of the tensions that fuel disconnect between adult Gen Zers and their parents are similar to the reasons Gen Z doesn’t want to listen to their elders anymore. They don’t feel heard, understood, or respected, so they’re less willing to invest time, energy, and effort into cultivating bonds.
8. Their collective priorities are an afterthought
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From climate change activism to social justice and even bringing awareness to discussions around mental health, many of the values that Gen Z leads with in their professional and personal lives, according to surveys from the Pew Research Center, aren’t as equally or collectively prioritized by older generations.
Even in the workplace, Gen Z is looking for authority figures and employers who share similar values to them, according to a Deloitte employment survey. When they’re not met with a similar commitment or enthusiasm for these values, they struggle with productivity, comfort, and passion for their work — which can be disorienting and frustrating for baby boomers and Gen X leaders bred within a “hustle culture” above all else.
While it’s possible for Gen Zers to have open, trusting, and respectful conversations with older generations who don’t share the same opinions, values, or perspectives as them, it is important for everyone to feel heard — and if Gen Zers don’t feel heard, they’ll be quick to set boundaries and avoid investing time into these unhelpful conversations.
9. They feel ridiculed by false narratives
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With stereotypes of “laziness” being spread from baby boomers toward Gen Z, especially in places like the workplace where young people are struggling to find purpose and belonging, it’s not surprising that many don’t feel heard by older generations.
Of course, this feeling of ridicule isn’t entirely one-sided, seemingly subtle things like Gen Z slang and common phrases — think: “OK, boomer” — and popular narratives on social media apps like TikTok perpetuate a sense of generational resentment that tends to paint a misguided picture of older generations with broad strokes.
10. They believe older generations are resistant to change
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While many of the reasons Gen Z doesn’t want to listen or talk to their elders anymore stem from a place of resentment and innate misunderstanding, it’s also partly because young people view their older counterparts as “stuck in their ways.”
Partially because of their upbringing and early adulthood experiences, many people do actually suggest that older generations like baby boomers prefer stability over uncertainty, resenting the chaos and change that many Gen Zers have introduced into environments like the workplace.
However, alongside Gen Z’s commitment to change, it’s not surprising that the two don’t mesh well — leaning toward frustration and irritability when there’s a disagreement or misalignment of values.
11. They’re too busy and overwhelmed to engage
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Considering many Gen Zers have a collectively poor image of conversations with older generations like baby boomers, many simply steer clear of interactions — focusing their energy onto the all-consuming economic instability and uncertainty they’re facing in their personal and professional lives.
Especially with the majority of Gen Zers consistently living on a “financial cliff,” with little emergency savings and job stability to overpower their feelings of anxiety, according to a Bankrate survey, many don’t have the energy to invest in productive social connections with friends and family, let alone potentially distressing and unproductive ones.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.