Gen Z and Boomers Disagree on Parents Getting Christmas Holidays Priority

Gen Z and boomers disagree on whether parents of young children should be given priority when requesting time off work over Christmas, according to polling commissioned by Newsweek.

According to the results, while 67 percent of Gen Z respondents aged between 18 and 26 were in favor of parents being given priority, that proportion dropped to 47 percent among boomers aged 59 and over.

A breakdown of the responses of those who felt parents of young children should not receive priority when requesting time off work for Christmas further emphasized the generational divide.

While just 22 percent of Gen Z respondents said they should be denied priority, that number jumped to 33 percent among boomers. A significant proportion of Gen Z (13 percent) and boomers (19 percent) remained on the fence over the issue though, preferring to answer "don't know."

The findings come from a poll of 1,500 U.S. adults conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies for Newsweek and could ignite fresh discussion around the allocation of vacation time over the Christmas holidays.

The stress parents face over the Christmas holidays was previously laid bare in the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health in the U.S. The 2021 survey of 2,000 parents revealed that 18 percent of respondents rated their stress levels as high during the holiday season.

Stress levels rose highest among women with 23 percent of mothers reporting high stress levels over Christmas compared with just 12 percent of fathers.

The parents polled pointed to several aspects of the holiday season as being highly likely to cause them stress. These included extra shopping and holiday tasks (31 percent), keeping family members healthy (30 percent), managing household finances (29 percent), planning for family gatherings (23 percent), making special holiday meals (22 per cent), and facing criticism from family members about their holiday plans (14 per cent).

In each category, more mothers than fathers rated each of these as being aspects more likely to cause stress. Commenting on the findings, research scientist and Mott Poll co-director Sarah Clark warned that this added stress could have a detrimental effect on their children's enjoyment of Christmas.

"Many parents want to give their children those perfect magical memories to treasure for years to come," she said. "But all of the behind the scenes work to make that vision come true could have the opposite effect for some families. Excessive parental stress can add tension and diminish the joy children associate with the season."

Some generations may feel parents do not warrant priority when it comes to having time off over Christmas, but without it, it's plausible that many moms and dads would likely face increased stress whether it's from work commitments or picking up the slack over the festive season for a working partner.