Characteristics of Professional Values Across Generations
Nilufar Dalimova and Rukhsora Odilova
National University of Uzbekistan named after M. Ulugbek, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Keywords: Professional Values, Person’s Life Value, Value Orientation, Professional Activity, Generation.
Abstract: The exploration of professional values is of significant relevance in today's world. The presence of
professional values and traditions plays a vital role in maintaining professional stability, enhancing a person's
material prosperity, and cultivating a spiritual and moral environment at work. This article focuses on the
examination of professional values across various generations and provides research findings on the matter.
1 INTRODUCTION
A person’s life values are also evident in his or her
professional values. There are certain groups in every
society whose occupations bring them to a level of
privilege over other members of their community. It
is well known that the life, health, spiritual health,
legal protection, and scientific potential of many
members of society depend on the degree to which
such privileged professionals feel their professional
responsibility, honesty, and conscience.
Based on ideas mentioned above, we aimed to
determine the professional values of different
generations living in Uzbekistan.
2 METHOD AND RESULT
The method "Identifying the type of value
orientation", devised by M.S. Gutkin, T.I. Shalavin,
and S.N. Chistyakov, is aimed at discerning values
connected with professional activity [Gutkin M.S.
(2000)].
This method's questionnaire yields data on three
groups of scales: values tightly bound with
professional activity; values actualised through
professional activity; values realised irrespective of
professional activity.
Table 1 outcomes reveal that the values centred
around profession-related activities are considerably
higher in Generation X (43.0%) compared to other
*
Corresponding author
generations. Both professional and contrasting non-
professional values are elevated in Baby Boomers
(50.6%), and values independent of professional
activity are higher in Generation Y (25.6) and
Generation Z (22.5) compared to other generations.
The above table summarises the comprehensive
results, with a detailed analysis of each question
following.
The Baby Boomer generation (35.6) responded most
positively to the statement, "A profession that allows
me to display my agility, willpower, strength, and
physical prowess at a high level is the best profession
for me." Responses from the other three generations
showed near-identical attitudes towards this notion.
58
Dalimova, N. and Odilova, R.
Characteristics of Professional Values Across Generations.
DOI: 10.5220/0012477100003792
Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
In Proceedings of the 1st Pamir Transboundary Conference for Sustainable Societies (PAMIR 2023), pages 58-63
ISBN: 978-989-758-687-3
Proceedings Copyright © 2024 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda.

Table 1. Analysis of the results obtained using the method of identifying value orientation types of different generations
Generations N %
Baby-boomers
(1943-1960)
Professionally oriented values
27 31,0
Values both related and unrelated to the
profession, i.e., conflicting values 44 50,6
Non-Professional Activity-Oriented Values
16 18,4
General 87 100,0
Х generation
(1961–1981)
Professionally Oriented Values
52 43,0
Values that are both related and unrelated to the
profession, i.e., conflicting values 47 38,8
Non-Professional Activity-Oriented Values
22 18,2
Generation 121 100,0
Y generation
(1982–2004)
Professionally Oriented Values
35 38,9
Values that are both related and unrelated to the
profession, i.e., conflicting values 32 35,6
Non-Professional Activity-Oriented Values
23 25,6
General 90 100,0
Z generation
(2005 – approx. 2025)
Professionally Oriented Values
29 36,3
Values that are both related and unrelated to the
profession, i.e., conflicting values 33 41,3
Non-Professional Activity-Oriented Values
18 22,5
General 80 100,0
Figure 1: Surveyed individuals' reactions to the statement, "The profession allowing me to display my agility, willpower,
strength, and peak physical condition is the most fitting career for me".
Characteristics of Professional Values Across Generations
59

Table 2: Responses to the statement, "A profession that allows me to demonstrate my agility, determination, strength, and
peak physical fitness is the ideal career for me".
Generations
N %
Baby-boomers
(1943-1960)
No
56 64,4
Yes
31 35,6
General
87 100,0
Х generation
(1961–1981)
No
88 72,7
Yes
33 27,3
General
121 100,0
Y generation
(1982–2004)
No
69 76,7
Yes
21 23,3
General
90 100,0
Z generation
(2005 – approximately
2025)
No
61 76,3
Yes
19 23,8
General
80 100,0
Based on the illustration above, we can deduce
that the older generation in our study demonstrated a
preference for a profession that showcases their
agility and strength. This may not be unexpected as
the individuals from
this generation are now physically weaker and
desire to regain their once vigorous and active
condition. Similar observations can be found in the
work of other researchers [Shindryaeva I.V. (2015)].
The chart below (Figure 2) illustrates respondents'
reactions to the statement, "A profession that offers
me the opportunity to attain a high social status,
recognition, fame, and the acknowledgement of
others is the best profession for me."
Figure 2: Respondents' reactions to the statement that the profession which affords them the chance to attain a high societal
standing, recognition, fame, and acknowledgement by others is the most appropriate profession for them
Participants from the X, Y, and Z generations who
partook in our study exhibited near identical results
(13.2%, 14.4%, and 15% respectively), whilst the
figures for the baby boomer generation were
considerably lower than those of the aforementioned
three generations. This suggests that the younger
generation are more driven to attain a higher societal
standing, fame and recognition than the older
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generation. However, it should be acknowledged that,
whilst Generation Z has a stronger inclination to
achieve a higher position in society compared to other
generations, the results indicate that 85% of this
generation also feel that a "profession that offers them
the opportunity to gain societal recognition, fame and
acknowledgement is the best profession for them".
Similar findings can be seen in the research of N.U.
Yarychev [Yarchev N.U. (2016)].
The following table presents the responses of various
generations to the statement, "A job that allows for
good working conditions, meaning one which does
not induce fatigue or negative emotions, is the best
profession for me".
Table 3: A job that permits good working conditions, in other words, work that does not result in exhaustion or generate
negative emotions, is the most suitable profession for me.
Generations
N %
Baby-boomers
(1943-1960)
No
39 44,8
Yes
48 55,2
General
87 100,0
Х generation
(1961–1981)
No
67 55,4
Yes
54 44,6
General
121 100,0
Y generation
(1982–2004)
No
48 53,3
Yes
42 46,7
General
90 100,0
Z generation
(2005 –
approximately 2025)
No
42 52,5
Yes
38 47,5
General
80 100,0
If we consider the results, almost all of the various
generations presented a high preference for the
statement: "A job that ensures good working
conditions, allowing one not to become exhausted or
experience negative emotions, is the ideal profession
for me." Thus, it can be inferred that throughout their
lives, individuals desire to work in favourable
conditions and in roles that don't trigger negative
emotions. Nevertheless, it was the Baby Boomer
generation that registered the highest preference
(55.2%). Our subsequent examination pertains to the
statement: "A profession that guarantees a good
salary and high earnings is the ideal job for me." We
have opted to illustrate the results of this survey
through the diagram below.
Characteristics of Professional Values Across Generations
61

Figure 3: Responses of participants to the statement that a profession which ensures a good salary and sound financial
conditions is the most suitable job for them.
From the preceding results, it is clear that the X
generation respondents (45.5%) agreed most with the
statement, "a profession that ensures a high income
and provides good financial conditions is the best
profession for me". Given this, we can infer that the
representatives of this generation, who were
approximately 39-59 years old at the time of our
research, were likely dealing with financial
responsibilities such as supporting their growing
children, managing their children's marriages,
providing housing and financing education. These
substantial financial obligations could explain why
this generation, more so than others, would prefer a
profession that yields a higher salary.
The subsequent response we analysed was to the
statement: "the profession that allows me to exercise
creative freedom and fully utilise my intellectual
capabilities is the most suitable for me". The
responses to this statement can be found in the
subsequent table.
Table 4: The profession that allows for creative freedom and the full expression of my intellectual abilities is the most suitable
for me.
Generations
N %
Baby-boomers
(1943-1960)
No
67 77,0
Yes
20 23,0
General
87 100,0
Х generation
(1961–1981)
No
94 77,7
Yes
27 22,3
General
121 100,0
Y generation
(1982–2004)
No
59 65,6
Yes
31 34,4
General
90 100,0
Z generation
(2005 – approximately
2025)
No
60 75,0
Yes
20 25,0
General
80 100,0
A total of 34.4% of the Generation Y respondents
who participated in our study concurred with this
viewpoint. In essence, intellectual capabilities
comprise an individual's keenness, power, and
comprehensive perception of a subject, a vast array of
knowledge about it, flexibility and speed of thought
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(rapid, diverse, specific), logical and articulate
reasoning, and systematic action. This includes
analysis, synthesis, the capacity to think creatively, to
summarise and generalise, to form opinions, and to
accomplish tasks. Therefore, creativity doesn't
merely help an individual to adapt to life, but rather
to transform it. Thus, we can deduce that
representatives of Generation Y are typified by their
creative activities, developed intellect, creative
potential, intellectual development, and a strong
desire for improvement. Given that the
representatives of this age group currently constitute
the 20-38-year-old generation, it's natural that these
results are higher among the representatives of
Generation Y. Our next examination pertains to, “The
profession that leaves ample time and energy for
communication with friends and relatives, for leisure,
and for pursuing various interests is the most suitable
profession for me.” We decided to present the results
of this review in the form of an image below.
Figure 4: Respondents' views on the notion that a profession which conserves time and energy for interacting with friends
and relatives, and allows for leisure time and diverse pursuits, is the most suitable profession for them.
Drawing from the results depicted in Figure 4, it can
be inferred that 31.3% of Generation Z
representatives believe that a profession which
conserves time and energy for interaction with friends
and relatives, and allows for free time and the pursuit
of varied interests, is the most suitable for them.
Given that these respondents are the youngest of
those surveyed, with many still in their formative
years and relatively untouched by life's worries
compared to other generations, it's unsurprising that
they express a desire for leisure, increased social
interaction, and enjoyment during their free time.
3 CONCLUSION
The examination of professional values across
different generations suggests varying preferences.
The older generation, it seems, prioritises professions
that demonstrate their agility and strength, without
causing fatigue or negative emotions. The X
generation, on the other hand, favours occupations
offering high salaries and good financial conditions.
The Y generation places importance on professions
that allow for the display of creative freedom and full
expression of their intellectual capabilities. The
youngest participants, belonging to Generation Z,
showed a stronger inclination towards occupations
that preserve time and energy for socialising with
friends and relatives, organising free time, and
pursuing diverse interests, compared to the other
generations.
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Shindryaeva I.V. (2015), Professional value orientations of
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Yarchev N.U. (2016), The system of value orientations in
the context of generations. Eurasian Scientific Journal,
No. 2. -With. P 168-171.
Suetina N.M. (2006) Values of the older generation as a
factor of social stability: Cand. sociological Sciences. -
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Strauss W. (1997), Howe N. The Fourth Turning: An
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