Women aged under 40 are not taking any crap. How they vote will have implications that will eventually change our rural and regional places, writes Gabrielle Chan.
Words Gabrielle Chan
ONE of the wonderful things about getting to your middle age is watching generations develop behind you. As I watch millennials (born 1981–1995) and Generation Z (born 1996–2010), it’s the women that attract my attention. They’re at an intersection of trends that make them the hope of the side.
Women aged 40 and under are not taking any crap.
Voting data about Australian women has implications that will eventually change our rural and regional places. As canvassed in Galah Issue 9, we know young people are moving to country towns. Millennials are about to take over from baby boomers as the largest generational group in Australia. We also know from the Regional Australia Institute’s economist Kim Houghton that millennials are the most likely to move to regional towns, in large part on the hunt for housing and space.
Millennials are mostly in their 30s, consolidating careers, partnering up and perhaps having children. Role models for millennial women are as diverse as writer and commentator Clementine Ford, actor Emma Watson and singer Taylor Swift, among others. Swift’s lyrics speak straight to these women. “I’m so sick of running as fast as I can, wondering if I’d get there quicker if I was a man.” These women were raised on these ideas.
Generation Z, meanwhile, are still finding their feet after their embryonic careers were upended by the pandemic lockdowns. They are not following the usual career paths. We don’t know where they will settle yet, but it’s clear they will be under even more pressure when it comes to housing. Gen Z women grew up at a time when social media allowed the sharing of information among like-minded people. Their generational leaders include Chanel Contos, who sparked a consent education revolution with an Instagram post, and Grace Tame, who did not flinch as she spoke out about sexual abuse of children.
