Topline
Millennial and Gen Z women face an increased risk of homicide and suicide compared to previous generations, though they’re more educated, make more money and are less likely to be incarcerated, according to a new report released Thursday.
A young woman meeting with a doctor and reading a document. The female patient looks worried and ... [+]
Key Facts
The suicide rate among millennial women ages 25 to 34 is seven deaths per 100,000, compared to four deaths per 100,000 when Gen X was the same age, according to an annual report by the Population Reference Bureau that largely relied on federal data.
Teen suicide is more common in Gen Z girls compared to previous generations: Suicide rates for girls 15 to 19 in Gen Z is 5.1 per 100,000, compared to 3.1 per 100,000 for millennials and 3.9 per 100,000 for Gen X.
The overall death rate in women between 25 and 34 jumped almost 40% (from 79 deaths to 109 deaths per 100,000) between 2019 and 2021, and the rise in violent crimes is to blame, according to the report.
Between 2019 and 2021, the rate of homicide deaths in young women increased from 3.4 to 5.4 per 100,000, and 2020 saw the largest one-year increase in national homicides in modern history (30%), according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The maternal mortality rate for women aged 25 to 34 increased to 30.4 deaths per 100,000 between 2019 and 2021 from 19.2 deaths per 100,000 for women in the same age range between 2013 and 2015.
The report defines Gen Z as born in 2000 or later, millennials born between 1981 and 1999, Gen X born between 1965 to 1980, baby boomers born between 1946 to 1964, and the Silent Generation born 1928 to 1945.
Key Background
The report blamed this rise in health and safety risks on several factors. Some young women came of age during the Covid pandemic, which worsened gender disparities in health, social equity, and economics. Gen Z reported the highest stress levels (6.1) during the Covid pandemic compared to 5.6 in millennials and 5.2 in Gen X, according to an American Psychological Association report. The PRB predicts the 2022 overturning of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision—leading many states to ban or heavily restrict abortion—will further increase maternal mortality rates among millennials and Gen Z, with a Demography study estimating maternal mortality could increase more than 20% if a total abortion ban was in place. The frequent use of social media also plays a role in these risks by causing young women to have increased suicide and self-harm behaviors due to low self-esteem, poor body image, and worsening mental health, PRB reports.
Contra
Though their physical well-being and safety are at an increased risk, millennial women have made farther economic strides and are more educated than previous generations, according to PRB. Millennial women have almost four times as many bachelor’s degrees than women of the Silent Generation and 1.5 times as many bachelor’s degrees as Gen X. Young millennial women’s earnings as a percentage of men’s has also increased. They make 89.7 cents for every dollar men make compared to the 82.4 cents Gen X women made during their young adulthood. PRB’s 2017 report found every generation of young women following the Silent Generation saw an increase in incarceration rates. However, incarceration rates fell to 69.7 women in prison per 100,000 between 2019 and 2021 compared to 86 per 100,000 when Generation X women were young adults between 1999 and 2001.
Tangent
Race, sexual orientation, gender identity, and pregnancy increased young women’s health and safety risk factors, according to the PRB report. The homicide rate for millennial Black women is especially drastic: There were 14 deaths per 100,000 women between 2019 and 2021, compared to nine per 100,000 between 1999 and 2001—an almost 60% increase. Suicide rates have declined among young white women, but they’ve increased for young women of color, specifically American Indian and Alaska Native women (26.9 deaths by suicide per 100,000). Bisexual women are almost eight times more likely to be victims of a violent crime compared to straight women, while lesbian women are more than twice as likely compared to straight women, according to a 2022 analysis by the federal government’s Bureau of Justice Statistics. Transgender women are over three times more likely to experience violent crimes than their cisgender counterparts, the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law reports. Pregnant and postnatal women are at an increased risk of homicide, and homicide is the leading cause of death among this group of women.
Surprising Fact
This is the first Gen Z was included in PRB’s yearly report, but a lot of data—like maternity mortality and homicide rates—wasn’t available to include. However, the report found as Gen Z approaches young adulthood, there are 10 times the amount of women in congressional state legislature positions than when the Silent Generation was their age, and 1.4 times the amount than millennial women in 2016. They are also almost 4% less likely to drop out of high school compared to when millennials were teenagers, and their teen birth rate is one-third that of millennials.
Further Reading
Losing More Ground: Revisiting Young Women’s Well-Being Across Generations (Population Reference Bureau)
If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or text the Crisis Text Line at 741-741.
