Generation Z, the group of people born between 1997 and 2012 in North Macedonia, is challenging the mindset that creates divisions between communities of different ethnic backgrounds. That's what Mollëkuqja's vox pop with young people from different ethnicities shows. Studies, however, say this age group holds divided opinions when it comes to gender equality.
Young people from different ethnic backgrounds live all across North Macedonia. Even though they face the same problems, for years there's been a tendency to mostly socialize within one's own ethnic group.
Generation Z is breaking this pattern
Mollëkuqja spoke with young people of different ethnic backgrounds who live and work in the country for this vox pop. Without exception, every single one said that ethnicity shouldn't stand in the way of friendship or cooperation.
Ardian Ramadani lives in Tetovo,a city where communities of different ethnic backgrounds, Albanians, Macedonians, Turks and others, have lived side by side for years.
"A lot of prejudice has built up between different ethnic groups toward one another, and I don't like that. I try to fight it every day. Young people need much more space to start joint projects and break down that wall, because the problems we share are far bigger than the ethnic divisions we have," Ramadani said.
He added that over the years, they've grown up "divided, almost like living in parallel systems." Studies show that a lack of direct contact feeds stereotypes and can lead to unreasonable prejudice and hatred.
Kristijan Stefanovski lives in Skopje,the country's capital, where communities of different ethnic backgrounds also coexist. He socializes with young people from different ethnicities and says the culture of division is fed by several factors.
"Of course, this isolation is supported and kept alive by a whole network of factors, starting with the family, going through the education system, and reaching all the way to state institutions," Stefanovski said.
"Youth exchanges, volunteer work and cultural events are especially important here, because they let young people build relationships based on shared interests and experiences. That said, I think that alongside civil society organizations, it's essential for educational and state institutions to get involved too, so we can build lasting networks instead of one off, formal meetings," he added.
Angela Boshkoskaa student and writer from Tetovosays she's seen firsthand what real coexistence can look like. She points to a rock cafe in Tetovo, which no longer exists today, as a place where ethnicity simply wasn't part of the conversation.
"In this sense, I'd single out the natural coexistence that formed at a rock cafe in Tetovo, which unfortunately doesn't exist anymore. Everyone hung out there, and when I say everyone, I mean nobody ever asked anyone else what nationality, ethnicity or religion they were. Instead, we talked about something we all loved, rock music," Boshkoska said.
She believes that in a country that keeps showing just how little it cares about young people, the only path left is to naturally gravitate toward the things that bring us together and ignore the divisions that everyday politics keeps trying to push on us.
Yllza Sulejmani and Amra Osmaniboth from Tetovosee the answer in joint activities and cooperation between young people of different ethnic backgrounds.
“Mendoj se nuk është problem shumë i rëndë i cili nuk mund të zgjidhet. Ne duhet të bashkëpunojmë me etnitë e tjera, sepse kjo është vlerë shumë e mirë, sepse jemi vend multikulturor“, tha Yllza.
“Te të rinjtë nuk realizohen iniciativa të përbashkëta me etni të ndryshme. Kjo bën që paragjykimet të shpeshtohen dhe të rinjtë të mos e njohin njëri-tjetrin“, tha Amra.
M.V s a Macedonian woman from Gevgelija,a city that, unlike most other cities in the country, has an almost entirely homogeneous population ethnically. When she moved to Skopje at 22, she saw firsthand just how divided young people in the country really are along ethnic lines.
"I understand that the fact we, as young people, aren't united enough isn't entirely our own fault. From a very young age we grow up in different environments, in separate schools or even different school shifts. You can't expect young people to feel like one community if, starting from elementary school, they never get the chance to play together at recess and build friendships," she said.
"Without contact, it's hard to break down stereotypes. That's why I think that if we want real coexistence, we have to start with education. It's not enough for kids to learn lessons about tolerance if in practice they never get the chance to actually meet one another. We need more joint activities, joint projects, sports and cultural events, and student led initiatives where young people can work together and get to know each other naturally," she added.
Luisa Residi from Tetovo says interethnic socializing mostly happens at universities, and that other shared spaces are needed too.
"They do socialize, but mostly at universities. Other kinds of spaces need to be created, like the Cultural Summer used to be, where young Albanians, Macedonians and Turks would meet. Spaces like that, which would be more fun," she said.
Study: Generation Z is more divided than any other generation on gender equality
According to a new study by King's College London, carried out by Ipsos UK together with the Global Institute for Women's Leadership, Generation Z turns out to be the most divided generation along gender lines when it comes to feminism, gender roles and women's rights.
The study shows that, contrary to the common belief that younger generations are uniformly supportive of gender equality, the views of young men and women actually diverge quite sharply on these issues.
According to the results, 53% of Generation Z women identify as feminists, compared to only 32% of Generation Z men who say the same about themselves, a 21 percentage point gap, the largest recorded among all the generations in the study.
The study also points out that although Generation Z perceives less tension between social groups compared to issues like wealth or class, young people from this generation are more likely than older generations to feel tension between genders in their own country, with big differences from one country to the next.
The divisions the young people described in their interviews aren't just subjective impressions. They show up in the official numbers too. According to the Commission for the Prevention and Protection against Discrimination, 208 discrimination complaints were filed in just the first six months of this year, and one in four of them was based on ethnic or national grounds.
- Read for context; North Macedonia, over 200 complaints of discrimination in the first six months of the year
