This paper explores the cultural and political dimensions of intergenerational dialogue on the meaning of work, focusing on how young people in Austria navigate inherited narratives of work and articulate alternative visions of meaningful work. Drawing on qualitative data from a mixed-methods study on young adults’ meaning-making practices around work. The paper examines how intergenerational exchanges within families, institutions, and public discourse shape and contest values attached to work. The paper foregrounds the asymmetries of power that structure intergenerational dialogue itself within the broader demographic and political dynamics of the Global North. In ageing societies, where older generations dominate political representation and policymaking, youth voices are often marginalised despite their heightened exposure to polycrisis manifesting in precarious working conditions, the climate crisis, and long-term structural uncertainty. This imbalance suggests that dialogue about the future frequently unfolds on uneven terrain, constrained by institutional inertia, cultural hierarchies, and politics of age. Moreover, the paper highlights the importance of agency within transformative practices. Young people engage critically with dominant work ideologies through acts of resistance or reinterpretation, co-creating alternative frameworks based on autonomy, balance, purpose, and sustainability. Hence, these meaning-making practices function not only as cultural critique, but also as an imaginary of the future of work, and what constitutes key dimensions of inclusive futures and well-being. By theorising intergenerational dialogue as a site of both cultural co-creation and power contestation, the paper contributes to debates on the cultural politics of work, intergenerational justice, and the epistemic conditions for inclusive and sustainable futures.
