"Career or Heart" - "It's not that I don't want to work" The Day Gen Z Women Disappear from the Workplace

"All the girls around me are quitting their jobs."

"More than half of my friends are neither full-time employees nor students right now."
Such posts have garnered tens of thousands of likes on X (formerly Twitter). In the replies,

• "I also recently quit my job and moved back home."

• "Job hunting broke my spirit, and I can't bring myself to do anything."

• "I can't handle work or school. I just want to take a break for now."

Such voices are common.

The term "NEET," often thought to have originated in Japan, actually began as a policy term in late 1990s Britain. Referring to "young people not in education, employment, or training," this indicator has since spread to various countries and is now so common that organizations like the International Labour Organization (ILO) collect global statistics on it. Wikipedia

And now, in Britain, there is a surge in "young female NEETs."

Young Female NEETs at an All-Time High

According to UK government statistics, about one million young people aged 16-24 are currently NEET, with 450,000 of them being women, the highest level since 2016. The Independent

Over the past three months, the total number of NEETs increased by 24,000, with women increasing by 25,000 and men decreasing by 1,000, indicating a significantly skewed trend. The Independent

Why are young women being pushed out of the workplace now?
Reading through British articles and international studies, four keywords emerge: "mental health," "workplace culture," "care burden," and "social media."

1. Mental Health: Those Who Had to Quit

A survey by the UK charity Prince's Trust found that one in ten NEET young people said they quit their job due to deteriorating mental health, and more than one in four said they couldn't even apply for jobs due to mental health issues. The Independent

Experts point out that women are generally more prone to common mental health issues like anxiety disorders and depression, and this tendency has intensified over the past decade. The Independent

An article featured the voice of a woman in her late twenties named "Megan" (a pseudonym) who worked at a company. Despite her achievements, she was constantly told she could do more, and she was exhausted from being at the mercy of her boss's moods. One day, she realized her hand was trembling as she tried to click the login button. Her heart would race before going to work, and she felt nauseous just thinking about her job—only then did she submit her resignation, realizing she couldn't continue. The Independent

Similar episodes abound on social media.

• "I can't stop crying in the morning and can't go to work."

• "Just seeing a chat notification from my boss makes my heart race."

• "I feel like I have no worth unless I do everything perfectly, and I'm terrified of making mistakes."

One woman on Reddit, identifying as a "recovering NEET," expressed, "With rent and prices so high, there's no safety net to recover once your heart is broken." Reddit

Looking at these voices, it becomes clear that it's not about "not wanting to work out of laziness," but rather a desperate situation where "they want to work, but their mind and body can't keep up."

2. Workplace Culture Gap: Gen Z Finds Work an "Alien World"

Behind young women leaving work lies a gap where "the workplace itself was harder than imagined."

According to experts studying Generation Z, they spent much of their high school and university life online during the pandemic, significantly reducing opportunities to experience the workplace atmosphere through "part-time jobs" or "internships." As a result, the act of "going to work and collaborating with others" has become a stressful "unknown environment" more than anticipated. The Independent

The once-common "Saturday part-time job" or "high school internship" has disappeared, and Generation Z entered adulthood without knowing the reality of work. They have to learn everything from writing emails to maintaining distance with their boss in a real-world setting.

An expert notes, "Among young men, there are those who push through with confidence even if they don't understand, but young women tend to blame themselves for 'not doing well,' leading to a loss of confidence." The Independent

On social media,

"I was told at work, 'Ask anything you don't understand,' but when I did, they said, 'You don't even know that?'"

"I joined remotely and was told by a boss I'd never met in person, 'Have more confidence,' which only made me more withdrawn."

Posts like these have gone viral, giving rise to terms like "workplace culture gacha" and "boss gacha."

Work is both a "place for growth" and a "place where your mental health can break if you draw the short straw."

3. Social Media's Creation of "Ideal Careers" and "Ideal Housewives"

Another aspect that cannot be overlooked is the "polarized role models" created by social media.

On one side are career influencers who shine with "earning 10 million yen annually in their 20s" or "working freelance while traveling the world."
On the other side are influencers known as "trad wives" (traditional housewives), who share a life of baking homemade bread in classical dresses and dedicating themselves to their husband and children. The Independent

Neither world shows much of the mundane or struggles of everyday life.
The image of ordinary people who want to "work moderately and live moderately" falls through the cracks of the timeline.

Research shows that young women are more sensitive than men to "likes" and comparisons with others on social media, which strongly correlates with decreased self-esteem and depressive symptoms. Centre for Mental Health

In a large-scale survey conducted in the UK on 16-17-year-olds, about one-third of girls reported having "strong anxiety," and nearly 70% said they had missed school due to mental health issues. Anxiety about further education, employment, and lack of future prospects are daily stressors. The Times

Amidst this,

• "If I'm going to do it, it has to be a meaningful job with social significance."

• "If I'm going to join a mediocre company, I'd rather not work for a while and search for myself."

It might be a natural progression for more young people to think this way.

However, the reality of the labor market doesn't easily match such ideals. When a gap arises, the choice of "choosing nothing"—falling into a NEET state—becomes more likely.

4. Care and Financial Issues: Mothers Who "Want to Work but Can't"

Among young female NEETs, there are those who "have not yet had children" and those who "already have children." For the latter, the biggest barrier is, of course, the "burden of care."

In the UK, childcare costs have been rising for years, and although they have recently started to decrease slightly, they are still said to be among the highest in OECD countries. The Independent

A representative from the NPO "Women's Work Lab," which supports the employment of young mothers, says, "We receive several times the number of applications for our training programs, but when we interview them, nearly half have to decline because 'there's nowhere to leave their children.'" The Independent

A 25-year-old single mother finally secured a job at a supermarket after a two-and-a-half-year gap, but during long vacations, the cost of after-school care was so high that "the more I work, the more I go into the red." The Independent

According to European surveys, when young women are NEET and "economically inactive" (not even job-seeking), it is often due to childcare, family caregiving, or health issues, leading to long-term impacts such as poverty, decreased life satisfaction, and loss of trust in society. cjex.org

In other words, "not working" often reflects "can't work."

5. The "Controversial" Voices on Social Media

In response to these situations, three main types of reactions are seen on social media.

① Voices of Those Who Quit "to Protect Themselves"

On X and TikTok, numerous videos are posted by people saying they don't regret quitting their jobs.

• "I couldn't handle full-time while going to a mental health clinic. Now, with part-time work and living at home, I can finally breathe."

• "Before work-life balance, it's crucial to protect 'life' and 'mental health' first."

Such words garner a lot of empathy.

On Reddit's "Women NEETs" thread, comments like "Those who