Millennials: Have We Really Transcended Gender Norms?

The Millennial generation (1981-1997) is considered to be the most unique as they are classified as innovative, confident, and open to change. Existing literature finds that Millennials are the most racially diverse generation that were raised to be open and accepting of all individuals. In turn, this has shaped their outlook on the world, as they are set apart from older generations by maintaining nontraditional views and opinions based off their unique upbringing. Although Millennials are very accepting of others, present literature lacks to discover whether this unique attitude also affects their views of gender roles. Due to the lack of literature within this realm, this research study aims to analyze the attitudes the Millennial generation maintains concerning gender roles. The question is then posed, how do male’s perceptions of gender differ from female’s perceptions particularly amongst the Millennial generation? What factors have contributed to these differences? The questions of this study remain relevant today as we are attempting to be a more gender inclusive and equal society. In order to answer these questions, this study incorporates a mixed methods approach of both qualitative and quantitative data. A total of 1 other, 64 females, and 30 males participated in this study where 95 surveys and 6 interviews were collected from a small liberal arts college in Southern California. Results of this study find that despite the egalitarian values Millennials were raised with, their parents’ conformist behaviors within the home demonstrated clear gendered biases, which informed participants’ overall perceptions of gender