The Difference between the 80s and 90s Generation in China - Essay Example

The difference between 80s and 90s generation in China This paper will analyze the differences that exist betweendifferent parts of the Chinese population, namely the two groups of people one of whom were born in 1980s and 1990s. In spite of the fact that the difference in time is only a decade, it is suggested that there are many aspects that have contributed to formation of their distinct personalities. The purpose of the paper is to outline and investigate the major differences between the above mentioned generations and justify them with the evidence that was obtained through a careful interviewing of representatives of each of the group. The primary focus will be main on the following points: the economic background at the time when the person was born and its influence, the effects of One Child Policy and the pressure that it generated, the peculiarities of the cultural life of a person, the attitude towards the society and the vision of the future. In order to obtain the necessary data, the research was organized in the following manner: a limited number of people each representing 80s and 90s generation were interviewed and asked a specific set of questions that would provide the researcher with the data that was later processed and analyzed. The results of the study were the following: the two generations in question were found to have differences in each of the above mentioned points. While the 80s generation was generally more influenced by the favorable effects of transition of the society, they are more pessimistic about the future, the 90s generation is rather optimistic about their role, but is more under parental pressure. Introduction China is known to be the country that enjoys the biggest population in the world. That is why it provides the researchers with a platform for research of the social community and the way it is influenced by different external factors. The paper explores the differences between generations of people who were born in 80s and 90s. Though there is only a decade between them, the two groups of people seem to have dramatic differences in numerous aspect of their individuality. The reason why investigation of these two generations is crucial lies in the fact that they are the first two generations which lived after the introduction of the famous One Child Policy which is considered to have a decisive influence on the Chinese social life in the end of the previous century. The purpose of the report is to explain the major forces that make the generation of 1990s so different from the generation of 1980s. This will allow getting a better understanding of the social life in China and make justified predictions about its future. There is a considerable number of studies that have explored the problem in question. Many authors were able to identify one or two differences, but there has not been made an effort to develop a broad understanding of the situation. It is also quite important to engage different works which were written in and outside of China. Since the research primarily relies on the qualitative methods, it was logical to use interview as the major source of obtaining the information. Thus, several people who represent each group were selected and asked a series of questions that were designed to collect the necessary information that would highlight the differences. In order to present the information in the most logical manner, the current report in structured in the following way: a broad literature review is given to provide the readers with the background knowledge of the subject; the analysis of the research methods is performed; the results of the investigation are given; they are latter discussed, noting various strengths and weaknesses of the research; finally, the conclusion is given. Results The research was able to show that the 1980s generation witnessed the transition of China from a closed market to an open market economy, while those who were born in 1990s have never known about the peculiar position that they country once occupied in the economic world. Those who belong to the former generation were the first people to be born after the implementation of the controversial One Child Policy; however, those who represent the latter generation were born when the policy in question had been active for at least ten years and were influenced by it. The people who were born in 1980s witnessed the emergence of the Internet, but use this innovation with caution. Contrary to them, those who were born in 1990s do not consider the Internet to be something extraordinary and are willing to adopt the global culture that is being spread with the help of it. The older generation seems to be quite cynical about the contemporary society and is not satisfied with the increased competition while the younger generation has not entered the job market yet. Finally, the two generations are different in their vision of the future: those who were born in 1980s are rather pessimistic as they have to fight hard to retain their place in the society, while the other generation is more optimistic as it has not experienced the real competition yet. Discussion As one can easily see, there are several major trends that might be indentified. On the one hand, those who belong to 1980s have not experienced the parental pressure so much as did those who were born in 1990s. On the other hand, the former generation is actively engaged in the economic life, while the latter is about to graduate from the educational facilities and enter the labor force. One would make no mistake that the differences highlight the transition which occurred in the Chinese society when it abandoned its old ways and started developing in the new direction. The findings are significant since they are able to explain the fundamental difference between the two generations and allow one to choose the best approach towards building a strong relationship with them. This may also be helpful in facilitation of the dialogue between different parts of the society. However, one should keep in mind that the report is not free from weaknesses or limitations. For example, it is rather understandable that the five differences that were identified are not able to cover the entire spectrum of peculiarities of the individuality that each of the generations possess. Another point that should be mentioned is that there are certain limitations on the research. For example, it may be logical to expand the investigation further in time and include another generation that was born in the twenty first century in order to achieve a better objectivity of the question. One should specifically note that there are some limitations that are connected to the data collections: in spite of the fact that the sample was designed to provide the sufficient about of data, one should note that the research will surely benefit from participation of a bigger number of people. Conclusion Having examined all the points that were brought up in the paragraphs above, one is able to come to the following conclusion: there are some significant differences between the two generations in question. They are partially conditioned by the fact that these two groups of people lived in different times: the former were able to witness the transition of the society to open market. In addition to that, the effects of One Child Policy are more severe on the generation of 1990s as these people have experienced parental pressure to a larger extent. Surprisingly, those who were born in 1980s did not want to adopt the culture which was promoted by the Internet and remained conservative; contrary to that the younger generation is largely influenced by the Web. That is why there are often being criticized by the rest of the population for abandoning the old ways. Moreover, the older generation seems to be more cynical about the contemporary society as they have to fight hard to be economically active. On the other hand, those who were born in 1990s appear to be optimistic about the society which can be explained by the fact that they were not able to enter the labor force fully yet. Finally, the vision of the future is also different between these two generations with the former being pessimistic about the development of China and the consequences of One Child Policy and the latter being rather optimistic. The findings have several important implications. Thus, they show the fundamental differences between the generations and provide a person with an effective way to approach each one so that the interaction with them would be the most effective. The same findings may be used to facilitate dialogue between different parts of the population. Speaking of the recommendations that should be given with the regard to the findings of this report, it is important to state that the differences that were highlighted are general and might vary from person to person. That is why it is important to keep in mind that one should not utilize one size fits all approach. Bergstrom, M. (2012). All eyes East: Lessons from the front lines of marketing to Chinas youth. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan. Ding, M., & Xu, J. (2015). The Chinese way. New York, NY: Routledge. Hart, S. (2010). Capitalism at the crossroads: Next generation business strategies for a post-crisis world (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Wharton School Pub. Lee, G. (2014). 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