Velocity and Vertigo: Gender Trends in Consumer Research - In Conversation with Fernando Desouches, Linda Ong, and Linda Scott

In this panel conversation, industry leaders examine trends related to gender, such as those shaped by generational differences, technologies, and the urgent consequences of the pandemic. Indeed, millennial and Generation Z consumers display greater acceptance of various expressions of gender and family than older generations. These more racially and ethnically diverse digital natives, who were looking hopefully ahead to the opportunities of a growing economy, are now among the most vulnerable to the uncertain future amid the fallout of a global pandemic (e.g., Pew Research Social and Demographic Trends: https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/essay/on-the-cusp-of-adulthood-and-facing-an-uncertain-future-what-we-know-about-gen-z-so-far ). The pandemic further highlights the disproportionately negative economic vulnerabilities of women, LGBTQ+ communities, and disenfranchised groups around the world. The panelists discuss the mutually intensifying confluence of these events. Amid the velocity of change, creating a sense of vertigo described by panelists, Mr. Desouches, Ms. Ong, and Dr. Scott find that there is hope for a more sustainable balance that overcomes toxic expressions of genders and allows for more authentic expressions of identities, and they discuss the role of organizations in brands in realizing these possibilities. The panelists additionally point to the ambiguities of digital and social media, including ways in which they have given consumers more control over narratives of consumption in consumer-brand relationships but create the echo chambers that may isolate consumers. The panelists discuss best practices for professionals to responsibly navigate the politics of gender through marketing.