What Gen Z women want: ‘Lazy Girl Jobs’

The era of female hustle culture, when women were driven, unapologetic, and devoted to their profession at any costs, is long gone. The “Lazy Girl Job” trend has evolved as a countertrend, in part because of Gen Z. The glass ceiling is no longer something that young women desire to break. They would rather be content and do less. Gen Z women who prioritised balance over professional advancement have given the word “lazy” a new, unflattering meaning. Let’s take a look. Also read: After quiet quitting, comes quiet hiring: Is this new workplace trend helping or hurting employees? The “lazy girl job” trend According to AFP, a “lazy girl job" is essentially an undemanding, low-stress, usually administrative job, the real usefulness of which is more than questionable. These roles often have mysterious job titles, filled with jargon. They may sound impressive at family dinners, but beneath this opaque and often flashy veneer lies the kind of job that essentially involves answering hundreds of emails, completing an endless stream of meaningless tasks, and attending multiple meetings. Lunch and coffee breaks are often the high points of what can be dull, boring days.

“Lazy girl jobs" are reminiscent of the “bullshit jobs" theorised by the late American anthropologist David Graeber in 2013. What sets them apart, however, is this feminine slant. While anyone can do a meaningless job, regardless of gender, with “lazy girl jobs," the focus is on women who want to re-evaluate their relationship with work. Gone are the “girl bosses" of the 2010s, who worked themselves to the bone to prove they were as good as their male counterparts. The time has come to reject inflated ambition and celebrate professional mediocrity. Also read: Burnout has a cousin called rust out: What's this latest workplace trend? It’s quite popular on TikTok The term gained popularity after TikToker Gabrielle Judge, 26, gave work advice to her followers in a video on 22 May. “I’m a big fan of ’lazy girl jobs,’” she said, adding, “There’s a lot of jobs out there where you could make $60,000 to $80,000, so pretty comfortable salaries, and not do that much work.” Women have flocked to TikTok in the nearly two months since it was posted to convey how much they enjoy their “lazy girl jobs.” Over 14 million people have looked up the hashtag “lazy girl job.”

In an interview with Business Insider, Judge told that she believes more women would prioritise work-life balance, stop depending on their 9-to-5 jobs for fulfilment, and, if necessary, devote their spare time to side businesses they are passionate about in order to increase their salaries. “I really want people to understand our time is so valuable and should be focused on efforts that are most aligned with their individual priorities, not a company,” she said. In Austin, Texas, Kierstin Carter, 21, works as a litigation paralegal. She claimed that because her chores are so predictable and doable, she views her position as a lazy girl job. She told Insider, “I come in at about 7 am, read and answer emails, file documents, draft documents, answer phone calls, and do all this while watching my show on my desktop until about 6 pm.” She claimed that the only major drawbacks to the “lazy girl” character of her employment were that it required her to sit down the entire day and that she frequently spent her break time shopping online. “I love my lazy girl job,” she said, adding, “Having a packed fun-filled weekend and coming in Monday morning to this kind of job really is a blessing.” You’ll be happy to learn that one of the advantages of getting a lazy girl job is that you won’t have to work yourself to the bone simply to have something to boast about to a lot of strangers on LinkedIn. She said, “I have a Lazy Girl job where I sit at my desk 9-4 and post invoices in my own time and can read or watch Netflix or TikTok and get paid decently an hour.” Also read: Couples that sleep apart stay together? Sleep divorce, the new social media trend, explained Why it is appealing The balance between their personal and professional lives is something that many women nowadays strive for. Women who enjoy their free time and prioritise activities outside of work may identify with the image of these jobs as those of lazy girls. It appeals to the notion that one can live a meaningful life without forgoing their individual pursuits or mental health. Sinead Sharkey-Steenson, career coach at Career Elevator, told NationalWorld that the “lazy girl jobs” trend is enticing since it seems “like a dream scenario.” “Especially if you’ve watched other people slog away at jobs for little recognition or reward,” she said.

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The new workplace trend, according to behaviour therapist Dipti Tait, is appealing to people who are critical of hustle culture, which promotes the idea that working hard and long hours is the only way to succeed, as well as those looking for relatable content that celebrates a less demanding work environment. All The Things She Said author wrote in an article for The Guardian that the new trend has been building among Gen Z for quite some time now. She wrote, “These are the post-pandemic twentysomethings who spent their teens witnessing the rise and fall of the girl boss, and disillusioned with hustle culture and the resultant burnout, would rather just take home a solid monthly wage and enjoy life within the parameters possible under capitalism.” She also highlighted a Workspace Technology poll that supports the emergent mindset. According to the report, nearly half of Gen Z workers would quit their jobs if they were not given the choice of “hybrid work.” In contrast to millennials, who place 62 per cent of their identity in their place of employment, only 49 per cent of Gen Z respondents to the Deloitte 2023 Gen Z and Millennial poll say the same. All presumptions regarding professional commitment are currently being questioned, though, especially among young people, as evidenced by the hype surrounding this idea. However, this does not imply that they are unwilling to work or that they prefer “lazy people jobs.” For instance, according to a French study from Fondation Jean-Jaurès and Macif, 37 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds worry about being bored or uninterested at work. And this is the situation where “lazy girl jobs” seem to have flourished. Women who have had parents who have overcommitted to their careers may not necessarily desire to follow in their footsteps. Especially if gender discrimination and the glass ceiling continue to prevent them from obtaining positions of great responsibility. Furthermore, if “lazy girl jobs” do exist, there is nothing stopping people who hold them from succeeding at their employment and so meeting the minimal expectations that are placed on them. With inputs from AFP