This research was conducted in 2017 in fulfillment of a master's of fine art thesis
in the Experience Design MFA program at Miami University.
Millennial women were sold a promise of equality that society was not prepared to deliver. Raised to believe they could do and be anything, they followed their passions and pursued their dreams. Now, as they collectively move into adulthood, they are encountering both overt and normalized forms of discrimination that shatter the narrative of equality they once believed. Frustrated, bewildered and unprepared to fight a battle they believed was already won by generations of women before them, young women today are turning to feminism in a new way. They seek a community of peers with whom to bring issues of inequality to light and resources to take action against injustice. This research examines millennials in Cincinnati, Ohio and emerging forms of protest against gender inequality. Traditional methods for civic action are combined with modern digital tools to produce a contemporary model for social activism that appeals to the unique values and aspirations of the millennial generation. By bridging their physical and digital worlds, young activists can connect locally with peers to empower each other and gain tools for identifying and eliminating gender hierarchy in their lives and their communities.
There is no question that the women’s rights movement in the United States has been a success, if one that came in fits and starts. Less than one hundred years after women gained the right to vote, they are graduating from college at higher rates than men, getting married later, having fewer children and living longer (Filipovic, 2017, p. 6). Rights to abortion and birth control have allowed them to delay childbirth and pursue careers, and they are making inroads into many positions of leadership and many traditionally male careers (Catalyst, 2017). But they still haven’t caught up.
Men earn more than women for doing the same work in nearly every profession (ACLU, 2017). In 1970, women made 59 cents on the dollar to men; forty years later that number had risen only to 77 cents on the dollar (Sandberg, 2010). That wage gap is deeply exacerbated for women of color, and widens as women age, especially when they have kids. Women in positions of leadership are also noticeably underrepresented across many domains. Despite being 51% of the population, women hold 14% of executive officer positions (for women of color, that number is 4%), 17% of board seats, and 18% of elected congressional positions (Sandberg, 2015, p. 6). Women are still subject to disproportionately high rates of gender-based violence and harassment, and nearly one in four women will be a victim of sexual assault in her lifetime (ACLU, 2017). Roles are not equal in the home, either. Even many “egalitarian” heterosexual relationships still involve the female partner doing the majority of the care work, whether that’s for her husband, their children or an aging parent (Quadlin, 2016).
The women’s movement has largely been backed by the ideology of feminism, a movement that aims to achieve social and political equality for all people. Feminism has been used to bring issues of injustice to light and energize advocates to take action for social change, but for several decades, pundits have asserted that we are living in a post-feminist era, and the gender revolution has stalled (Crossley, 2017). To theorize about the future state of feminism, we must look to current and future allies of the movement, particularly young adults. Millennials are now the largest population in the United States today, but current research on their views of feminism is mixed at best. Some argue that they reject feminism due to negative stereotypes that are associated with feminists, the radical nature of its history and ideology, or they simply don’t see a need for it anymore. Some see a more recent revival taking shape. In order to advance an agenda of gender equality, it will be imperative for the feminist movement to evolve in order to appeal to and partner with this generation.
The purpose of this study is to understand how millennials in Cincinnati, Ohio, view feminism and social activism, and to design a culturally relevant intervention that can be used to empower activists with the aim of advancing an agenda of gender equality.
In what ways can barriers be reduced for millennials in Cincinnati to engage with feminism and take action for gender equality?
The findings of the primary research indicate that millennials wanted to believe the battle for gender equality was already won, and for much of their lives they operated as though it was. But that belief is being dismantled as they grow older and become aware of the complex systems of oppression in which they live. In fact, 89% of respondents reported that they have experienced discrimination or mistreatment because of their gender, most often in the workplace.
Although the vast majority of them believe in advocating for gender equality, the ideologies and actions through which they believe it will be achieved remain unclear. While 89% of respondents consider themselves an ally for women’s rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes (the dictionary definition of feminism), far fewer (67%) self-identify as a feminist. This is due in part to the negative stereotypes that persist regarding feminists, but also because it is an ideology that is inherently radical and loud. Some would prefer to quietly usher society toward equality rather than forcefully swing the pendulum toward women. But there is evidence that this is shifting. Many are turning to feminism in a new way, especially in the wake of the 2016 election, which left them admitting “we are much worse off than I realized.” So-called millennial “fence-sitters” (Maurer, 2016) are now taking a stance when faced with the realization of what is at stake. Even the quiet ones are prepared to get loud.
This turning point leaves many millennials unsure of what to do next. As one participant noted, “It’s easy to go from feeling complacent to feeling helpless.” Online activism is overshadowed by divisive political discourse and echo chambers on social media, so they place more value on face to face conversation in which people can connect through shared humanity and practice empathy. Regardless of political views and backgrounds, millennials see interpersonal connection between friends, neighbors and community members as a meaningful site for activism. They also place great value on connecting with likeminded individuals, especially in a group setting. Particularly for marginalized people who have experienced discrimination, it is important to have a safe space for articulating their experiences and sensemaking that allows them to feel supported and validated.
The findings of this research hold significant implications for feminism and social activism, both presently and in the future. Millennials are now the largest generation in the United States, and their impact is significant. To understand the nuances of how they perceive social issues and what they value when taking action for social change will profoundly influence current and future sociopolitical movements. A model for activism built on their unique principles such as face-to-face connection and local impact could shape the ways that millennials organize for social causes.
Summary of emerging themes from primary research
Millennials believe that all genders should be equal, but are not necessarily feminists.
Some are now realizing “we’re much worse off than I thought we were.”
Sexism today is not as overt as it once was. It’s normalized.
Millennials don’t rely on government to solve everything (or anything).
Sharing experiences of discrimination and voicing frustrations is critical.
Deep, meaningful connection does not take place online.
Effective activism takes place on the ground and in person.
A group of activists is greater than the sum of its parts.
Start local. Address issues in your own backyard.
People in Cincinnati are passionate about social issues and are willing to take action for them.
The findings of the primary research led me to explore design concepts related to fostering empathy and community among millennials, and exploiting available and accessible forms of technology to do so. Research into past and existing models for activism, as well as emerging technologies for political resistance, led me to develop a concept for a contemporary consciousness raising (CR) group. Consciousness raising is a tool that the women's movement adopted from the civil rights movement in the 1960s and 1970s as a means to draw conclusions about the political root of women's personal experiences of discrimination. In these groups of 8-10 women, they learned to understand that their challenges in life were not specific to their individual lives, but were a result of broader structural inequalities that perpetuate the subordination of women and people of color (Crossley, 2017, p. 8). They were instrumental in shaping feminist culture and a shared dialogue among women. By combining traditional models for CR groups with contemporary tools for connection and aggregation, a modern-day iteration can combine synchronous and asynchronous activity to foster deeper connections and serve millennials’ emotional and practical needs.
The contemporary CR group is a conceptual model that entails a digital platform, a templated meeting structure and an intelligent voice-activated assistant. These three functions combine to provide the scaffolding for an experience that participants would operate within and build upon in order to shape their group and make it their own. This model bridges digital and physical spaces to deepen connection between group members and to provide them with tools and resources for social activism.
A digital platform provides a space to form the group and perform asynchronous group activities. This allows the group meetings to be more efficient by streamlining or automating administrative tasks and directing members’ focus on the content of the meetings.
Functions of digital platform:
Form a group
Establish group identity (doctrine of values, statement of goals)
Scheduling tool, calendar syncing and integration
Asynchronous chat
Location for gathering/sharing resources (articles, books, etc.)
Access to recordings and transcriptions of past meetings
Local events calendar (marches, speakers, volunteering opportunities)
Share content to social networks (doctrine of values, discussion)
Meeting/agenda planning
A templated meeting structure would be suggested for groups to implement, but the agenda would be open to their interpretation. Components of the meeting draw inspiration from CR groups of the past, which followed a rigorous structure that typically involved four steps: self-revelation or “testifying,” active listening, discussion linking problems to larger social forces, and connecting discussions to other theories of oppression (Crossley, 2017, p. 8). Testifying is the act of sharing a personal experience with the group regarding a certain topic. Examples of testifying questions are “What would change in my life if I had guaranteed health care?” and “What do I want my maternity leave to look like?”
An intelligent group assistant, or voice-activated assistant, uses advanced artificial intelligence technology and qualitative software to play crucial roles in the group, including scheduler, researcher, aggregator, secretary, timer, recorder, transcriber and information synthesizer. This offloading of roles and tasks supports the model of group-centered leadership, allowing all members to participate equally.
Functions of voice-activated assistant:
Take attendance by recognizing voices
Keep meeting on task with agenda
Ensure equal speaking time with timer
Record meetings and create transcription and podcast-style synthesis for reviewing after the meeting or for members who were absent
Synthesize ideas and create meeting summaries
Answer questions (e.g. “When was Supreme Court Roe v. Wade ruling?”)
Aggregate related content from the internet, especially regarding group’s chosen issues (articles, news, social media posts, election/candidate information)
Aggregate local events and news
Call/email local representatives regarding legislation
Provide services for group members with different abilities, such as screen reading for visual impairments or transcription for auditory impairments.
The test group was comprised of five millennial women who live in Cincinnati, Ohio. They ranged in age from 24 to 32. Participants took part in a design charrette where they formed their own CR group and a brainstorm discussion about the design of the group. The effectiveness of the test group was measured by the extent to which participants agreed with the following statements before and after the test:
I feel connected to my community.
I feel like I belong to a group.
I feel validated in my personal experiences.
I feel motivated and empowered to take action regarding social/political issues
The findings of the test group indicate that the CR group effectively increased participants’ feelings of connection, belonging, validation and empowerment. The latter was especially impacted by the prototype test; before the test, participants rated their feelings of empowerment the lowest of all four metrics, and after the test it the most of the four.
A prototype test group indicated that as a conceptual model, contemporary CR groups are an effective means for providing tools and platforms for millennials to engage in activism for gender equality. The CR group test increased participants’ feelings of connection, belonging, validation, and considerably increased feelings of empowerment and motivation to take action regarding important issues. The conceptual model was well received overall by test group participants, and that they deeply valued the opportunities it provided them for connection and thoughtful dialogue. They also responded positively to the structure of the group, placing great value on the principles of equality and shared responsibility. This indicates that group-centered leadership demonstrates significant potential as a model for organizing and social activism.
Finally, if it’s true that the gender revolution has been stalled for decades, this research highlights an opportunity for its revival, and indicates that it may already be underway. Millennials feel strongly about gender equality and, when equipped with tools for activism and a community of support, they will take action to advocate for it. The momentum of organizing and resistance that resulted from reaction to the 2016 presidential election is significant, but more work will be required to focus efforts on the agenda of gender equality and to sustain those efforts over time. Contemporary CR groups with group-centered leadership provide millennials with a clear method for focusing their efforts and engaging in social activism. By designing a model for activism that appeals to their unique needs for personal connection and tools for organizing, they can be empowered to identify and eliminate gender hierarchy in their lives and their communities.
This study demonstrates several opportunities for future research. Most significantly, the findings could be expounded upon by replicating the study with a much larger sample size. This would ensure accuracy of the findings as well as human diversity of the participants. This study could also be replicated in other cities across Ohio, the Midwest or the United States to build a larger knowledge base about current views feminism, social activism and millennials as they relate to location and surroundings. Findings of this study also suggest opportunities for conducting research on millennials’ perceptions of, or participation in, parallel social movements such as Black Lives Matter.
Many opportunities are presented for refining and iterating on the contemporary CR group prototype. Varying results and insights could be gained from testing groups comprised of different types of people: e.g., a group of all friends, a group of all strangers, a group of mixed genders, a group of non-cisgender people. Findings could also be enhanced by testing different sized groups, including a larger group with upwards of 10 people, and a smaller group with as few as 3 people. Additionally, in order to fully vet this concept as an effective tool for all marginalized people, it will be imperative to test the prototype by operating it through a wide variety of intersectional lenses of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, education and ability.
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