Generation Y Is More Concerned About Racial Discrimination

By Janine Fondon, UnityFirst.com

According to the results of a national survey of American women by YWCA USA, Generation Y women (aged 18-29) are expected be more demanding of the new Presidential Administration than their older sisters, mothers and grandmothers on key domestic issues. And despite decades of social progress, they are more likely than older women to see racism or discrimination based on ethnicity or religion as an obstacle to progress for women like them, and to perceive racial discrimination as a very serious problem in this country.

The findings show that more than seven in ten (77%) Gen Y women say that civil rights and racial justice should be a "top priority" for the first year of the new administration, compared with 54% of women aged 30-70. Gen Y women are similarly more worried about personal experiences with discrimination; half (50%) of these younger women say that racism or discrimination based on ethnicity or religion will be a "major obstacle" to the progress of women like them over the next decade, compared with only 31% of older women.

"At this moment in our history, these are surprising findings about young women," said YWCA USA CEO, Dr.Lorraine Cole. "Despite the progress we have made in this country with regard to racial issues, this new generation of women is actually quite concerned about personal experiences with racism for themselves and women like them. This is clearly an assertive generation of young women who are very clear what they want from President-Elect Obama and the new Congress — we all need to pay attention to them."

The findings also reveal that significantly more Generation Y women (18-29) than older women (30-70) say that the new administration needs to make several domestic issues "top priority" in the first year, including health care reform (87% v. 76%), quality and cost of education (85% v. 76%), the housing crisis (83% v. 69%) and HIV/AIDS (66% v. 45%).

Other key findings from the survey include:

• The majority of all American women say that personal economic problems pose the greatest barriers to their success over the next 10 years, including: lack of retirement savings (70%), major illness or medical expense (68%), lack of jobs or layoffs due to jobs sent overseas (63%) and cost of college or higher education (60%).


• Nine in ten (92%) American women aged 18-70 say that President-Elect Obama and the new Congress should make solving the financial crisis in the U.S. the number-one priority in the first year.
• Seven in ten (73%) Gen Y women say that violence against women in the U.S. should be a top priority for President-elect Obama and Congress to address in the first year.


• One in three (36%) women of Generation Y say they are "very worried" about being a victim of or knowing someone who is a victim of domestic violence, compared with one in four older women (23%).


• Gen Y women are more likely than older women to say that discrimination against Blacks (42% vs. 24%) and Hispanics (28% vs. 18%) is a “very serious” problem in the country.


• The representative phone survey, "What Women Want: A National Survey of Priorities and Concerns," conducted on behalf of YWCA USA by Princeton Survey Research Associates International (PSRAI), included interviews with 1,000 women aged 18-70 between October 28 and November 2, 2008.

The representative phone survey, "What Women Want: A National Survey of Priorities and Concerns," conducted on behalf of YWCA USA by Princeton Survey Research Associates International (PSRAI), included interviews with 1,000 women aged 18-70 between October 28 and November 2, 2008.