“[It's] Always Better When Something is Organic”: Structural and Cultural Impediments to Millennials’ Occupational Activism

Abstract

Millennial workers, more so than their generational predecessors, say that it is important to work in environments that prioritize diversity and inclusion. Their stated support for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) plus their sizable presence in the work force suggests they might theoretically be motivated to engage in occupational activism, particularly by pressing firms to implement policies that advance diversity. Yet many organizations remain racially homogenous, particularly among leadership. Sociologists explain this disjuncture by referencing “principle/practice gaps” to highlight the disconnect between the values workers endorse (principles) versus the actions they are willing to support (practice), and by noting the diversity ideology that justifies the disconnections between the two. In this article, I ask whether there are other, non-ideological dynamics that could explain why millennials are reluctant to utilize occupational activism to advocate for policies which reflect their values around diversity. What other forces might restrict millennials’ efforts in this area? Drawing from a multiracial sample of 85 millennial workers in the financial sector, I find that both structural and cultural dynamics discourage millennials from agitating for change. By focusing on a particular generational cohort and the constraints they encounter, this article contributes to our growing understanding of occupational activism by highlighting both a potential age/generational pathway by which this activism could emerge, and factors that impede it.