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Millennial men will take time off for themselves, but not their kids – Metro US

Millennial men will take time off for themselves, but not their kids

Millennial men will take time off for themselves, but not their kids
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Millennials desire meaningful careers, ones where they can make an impact by curating the perfect stock photo of a guy with a man bun.

RELATED: Is the workplace ready for Gen Z?

An international study by consulting firm Manpower Group released earlier this week found that across the globe millennials say purpose is a career priority. The study also found that as much as millennials seek meaning at work, they also value “me time” away from the office. Two-thirds (76 percent) of American millennials foresee taking significant breaks along the way in their careers for relaxation, travel or vacations — part of a larger trend toward riding “career waves” instead of climbing a “career ladder,” according to the study

But this is where things get tricky. While millennial women were more likely to say they’d take time off to care for children, older relatives, or partners, men were more likely to say they’d take time off to pursue a life dream or a hobby.

Strikingly, while 66 percent of millennial women said they plan to take a break to care for their children, only 23 percent of millennial men did. And both genders ranked taking time off to care for a partner low on the priority list, meaning it’s dual-income households till death do us part.

But perhaps all this is moot. The study also found that many millennials plan to work themselves to death — particularly in Japan, where more than a third say they’ll work until they day they die. In the United States, 66 percent expect to work past age 65, but only 12 percent say they’ll work until death.

Currently 83 percent report working more than 40 hours a week, which is probably also giving them carpal tunnel.

Yes, taking extended breaks and pushing until literal collapse might sound like a contradiction — but not for a generation that takes play as seriously as work.