Young women and men in their late teens and twenties are more divided than any other age cohort when it comes to their opinions on feminism, women’s rights, and gender roles in society, a new survey conducted across thirty countries shows.
The research, conducted by public opinion pollster Ipsos UK and the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London, which is based at King’s Business School, found that individuals belonging to Gen Z— broadly defined as those born between 1997 and 2012—are more divided than any other generation on a host of topics: whether they define themselves as a feminist; whether a man who stays home to look after his children is less of a man; whether men are being expected to do too much to support equality; and whether we’ve gone so far in promoting women’s equality that we are discriminating against men.
Some 53% of Gen Z women, for example, agree with the statement that they define themselves as a feminist, while only 32% of Gen Z men do — a huge 21 percentage point gap. For millennials the respective proportions are 46% and 32%—a 14 percentage point gap—while for Gen X respondents they’re 37% and 29%—an 8 point difference.
Similarly, 19% of Gen Z women said that they thought a man who stays at home to look after his children is “less of a man,” compared to 28% of men in the same generational cohort. That 9 percentage point gap is more than double the gap for Millennials and Gen X when asked that same question.
Gen Z respondents were also more likely than older generations to perceive a tension between genders in their respective country. Some 59% said that they considered there to be a gap, compared to 54% of Millennials, 47% of Gen Zs and just 40% of Baby Boomers.
Professor Heejung Chung, Director of the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London, noted that the divides like this between genders are “often fueled by politicians and media who capitalize on a zero-sum game narrative – framing the advancement of women as the cause of broader societal grievances, such as the decline of well-paid, secure jobs.”
But “it is essential to promote a growth mindset, reinforcing the idea that gender equality can benefit everyone,” she added.
Kelly Beaver, Chief Executive of Ipsos in the UK and Ireland, commented that this data “underscores the urgent need for nuanced conversations and inclusive solutions that address the concerns of all genders […]
particularly when considered against the backdrop of recent elections in the U.S. and Germany, where young men were significantly more likely than young women to back right-wing political parties.”
“We must find ways to bridge this divide and ensure that progress towards gender equality benefits everyone, without leaving anyone behind,” Beaver added.
Overall, 24,000 individuals were surveyed across the 30 nations in which the research was conducted, and the researchers observed clear variation by country. South Korea, for example, ranked worst for perceptions of tension between men and women, with 76% of all respondents in that country saying that tensions exist. In Britain, 40% of respondents agreed, while in the U.S. 58% said that they thought there were tensions between genders.