In an age where the youth is reinventing itself, there is emerging diversity in terms of attitudes, anxieties and aspirations of the youth. However, there are some commonalities. With an increasing number of young Indians enrolling in educational institutions and connecting to technology, there is also an evolution of opinions and perception. These are often, at a conflict with the conservative and the progressive.
Let us first address the most common issue among the youth of today, that is, employment. With changing attitudes, there is a gradual inclination towards unconventional careers and companies. More individuals are opting for a career in arts and considering jobs in the field of journalism, photography, culinary arts, travelling, marketing, fashion technology, etc. There is also a slow drift towards the start-up structure of a firm rather than companies which are established yet rigid. There is a realization that jobs can be creative and expressive and not necessarily restrictive.
Yet, we see that more than half of India’s youth, when questioned in a survey, still prefers government jobs and lists unemployment as insecurity. New job opportunities are being created through these entrepreneurial endeavours. But for now, they have failed to become a preferable alternative to government jobs, which do offer job security, but little else in terms of personal growth and fulfillment.
But the Indian youth is also not a homogeneous category, although they are increasingly becoming one. There has been a 41% rise in the number of people who own a mobile phone, in the past decade and during a survey, 57% youth claimed to watch news on TV regularly. A deeper study into their socio-political beliefs though, reflects a sad reality. The majority, including women, seems to stand with patriarchal beliefs such as not letting women work after marriage and that wives should always listen to their husbands. The popular opinion also stands against ideals of free speech, freedom of sexuality and supports religion over science.
It is true that these do not form the entirety of the opinion of the youth but it is clear that we are still far from being at a point where there is a conscious shift from conventional attitudes. Perhaps, it is time to start addressing issues of discrimination and gender, at a grassroots level, to prevent their inculcation in further generations. With technology and economic development, we ought to support independent professional endeavours and promote attempts at some offbeat careers. It could be a way to make educational qualifications more practical and profitable. To build a society with more equal opportunities, gender norms and stereotypes need to be questioned and corrected, instead of giving false assurances about an improving status quo. As there is a growing interaction between the youth, across genders, classes, castes and regions, we do see a growing tolerance and openness to multiplicity of beliefs and attitudes, which is something we should be consciously aiming for.
