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As a generation, we’re lucky enough to have safe spaces and open platforms to share with others. We all have different opinions that can connect or separate us, but does this come down to our gender? To see the contrasts and similarities and to see if men are really from Mars, we asked a male and female from gen-z some heated questions.

 

Do you feel like you’ve been educated enough about politics to be able to vote?

F: No! I never have been. At school, it was never a subject that was taught in a fun and interesting way and it was only covered by about 4 lessons each academic year. Definitely not enough time to cover such a broad subject, especially as politically, the world is constantly changing. At the last election, I found myself unsure of which party I was voting for right up until the moment the lady passed me my poll card. Google and YouTube aren’t resourceful enough to try and educate yourself on the complicated world of politics a few weeks before a general election…We need proper education! 

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M: No, I feel like no matter how educated you are on politics it won't really affect the average

person's ability to vote. Politics is about agendas, and agendas change consistently. You have a group of people with a higher power trying to decide what's right for an entire country. Also, the people of that country are normally faced with a choice of parties who think they have all of the right answers, in this case, Laws. You can be educated in politics as a topic, but at the end of the day, it essentially comes down to how you’d like to see your country run.

 

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What is your opinion on the gender pay gap?

F: Honestly, it baffles me that this is still relevant today. The gender pay gap should not exist. Of course, there have been improvements…But I cannot think of a single reason to justify why someone should receive more than another human being for doing the exact same job, purely based on their gender? It is just wrong. It is as simple as this. There should not be a gap.

 

M: This is such a particular topic, because of no matter your race, gender or age everyone should be paid equally. However, deadlines and time restrictions are key in every business, so if there’s a job that is physically demanding and needs to be completed within a time scale i.e most construction jobs, then an employer may pay a man more because he is most likely to complete the job quicker. But that in no way means a female could not do the job, there may just be a difference in performance and like any job there’s competition.

 

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In the past, particular jobs were stereotyped as ‘male careers’ e.g. a plumber, do you think that is still relevant today? 

F: I don’t believe that someone is incapable of performing a particular job just because of their gender. I think a job can be done by anyone who has the skills required. However, I still haven’t seen a female wearing a hi-vis jacket and a hard hat when walking past a house undergoing an extension, just like I’ve never seen a male employee help me out at the tanning salon. So…I guess gendered careers are definitely within our society but this doesn’t mean a job role is strictly designed for 1 gender. If I wanna be a builder, I will be one. 

 

M: It isn’t relevant today because anyone is capable of doing any job, but I guess labour work and

physically demanding construction jobs were just always considered a job for a man. Although the construction of buildings may be physical and not, in some people’s opinion, considered suitable for a woman, a lot of buildings have been designed by or had input from female Architects. Women have famously designed some of the most beautiful buildings and structures in the world. I think it’s all a matter of perspective.

 

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Does someone's wealth affect the type of relationship you want with them? (e.g just friends or a partner?)

F: Personally, I have never been someone who is interested in how much money a person or their family makes. When I was at school I found myself being good friends with people who came from all different kinds of backgrounds, socially and economically and it never bothered me. Naturally, I think people are drawn to others who have been bought up in a similar way to them. It just happens. But I’ve never thought much into this and I don't believe money has ever affected a friendship or relationship I have ever been in. 

 

M: It can do, someone who indulges in wealth and money will most likely have a different lifestyle to the average person. So like in all relationships sacrifices are made. The same goes for someone wanting a relationship with an individual who is wealthy. But money is materialistic and shouldn’t matter in a relationship, because no amount of money will buy love or affection. It comes down to the morals of both partners and what their views are on money is.

 

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How do you feel about our generation being so obsessed with technology?

F: Technology has always been a blessing and a curse. I found that the race to have the newest iPhone and gadgets throughout school really shaped the people we became in terms of always wanting more, but also battling with social skills. It all depends on how you as an individual were bought, I was lucky to have been pushed to play outside and interact with others by taking part in after school clubs. Little things like this went a really long way. And I think that this behaviour has been embedded into me and as a result, I’ve never really been ‘obsessed’ as such with technology. Although, I can see it in so many others within my generation. However, technology is so important in the world we live in and social media/technology has so many positive aspects too. There are so many more opportunities that are available because of technological advances and I think it is just something that our generation has to learn to use wisely, rather than let it control and consume us. 

 

M: To be frank, every generation has, is and will be obsessed with technology, simply because it’s our human nature to adapt and evolve. So as the decades go on and we strive as a species new discoveries will be made, the generations before us were just as obsessed because realistically we wouldn’t be where we are today without them. It seems like we are more attached to technology today because almost everyone is able to access some form of technology and at all ranges of pricing, but that’s the beauty of it. Someone could purchase the newest iPhone for £1000 and another purchase a Tesco own brand phone for £30, yet they can still call each other and have a conversation. 

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Do you think social media affects your mental health?

F: Not anymore. There was a time when social media became too much for me and it caused me a lot of anxiety within myself. But I found a way to use it positively and filter out content that would cause me harm mentally. I think it is all about following people who interest and inspire you and being careful with comparing yourself to others who seem like they might be ‘better than you’. It is so easy to put yourself down after a day of scrolling through everyone else’s perfect lives but you have to find a new, more positive way to look at things. But it also down to the people with more power than us. I personally believe that taking away the number of likes a post gets on Instagram was the best thing the company ever did. It is things like this that will help in the future.

 

M: YES! Both positively and negatively, it just depends on what you’re looking at. As great as social media is, it connects us to millions of people and profiles, who may bring us more harm than joy. The world before social media had negative people with negative views and it’s the same now, however, nowadays everyone has a platform to share. Some dwell way too much on what other people are doing and can suffer from mental stress. Seeing an influencer travel to exotic and beautiful countries while you’re sitting in an office staring out the window can be a big downer, but only if you let it. But people need to realise that just influencers don’t show you their bad times, because that wouldn’t be as appealing to look at. That’s the unfortunate side of social media. If people display their low points they get judged or criticised, normally with “you’ve got all the money in the world and all these nice things how can you be upset?” Well, it’s pretty simple, that person has emotions just like everyone else.