Almost a 3rd of Gen Z males agree a spouse ought to obey her husband | EUROtoday

Almost a 3rd of Gen Z males consider a spouse ought to obey her husband and {that a} husband ought to make essential choices, based on new analysis.

A world examine of 23,000 folks throughout 29 nations that discovered stark variations between totally different generations of males on the subject of gender roles.

Gen Z males (born between 1997 and 2012) had been twice as probably as Baby Boomer males (born between 1946 and 1964) to have conventional views on decision-making inside a wedding, with simply 13 per cent and 17 per cent of Baby Boomer males agreeing with these statements respectively.

In comparability, simply 18 per cent of Gen Z girls agreed {that a} spouse ought to at all times obey her husband and solely 6 per cent of Baby Boomer girls held that view.

“It is troubling to see that attitudes towards gender equality are not more positive, particularly among young men. Not only are many Gen Z men putting limiting expectations on women, they are also trapping themselves within restrictive gender norms,” The Hon Julia Gillard AC, Chair of the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership, King’s Business School stated. “We need to ensure everyone is taken on the gender equality journey, with a clear understanding of why it benefits all of society.”

The survey was performed by Ipsos within the UK and the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s Business School, King’s College London, to mark International Women’s Day 2026.

It revealed nearly 1 / 4 of Gen Z males agree {that a} lady shouldn’t seem too unbiased or self-sufficient, in comparison with simply 15 per cent of Gen Z girls.

Despite this, Gen Z males had been additionally the group almost certainly to consider that ladies who’ve a profitable profession are extra engaging to males, with 41 per cent agreeing with this assertion in comparison with 27 per cent of Baby Boomers of each genders.

People typically expressed extra equal views with just one in six respondents saying that ladies ought to tackle most childcare (17 per cent) or family chores past childcare (16 per cent), and underneath 1 / 4 (24 per cent) believing that males ought to shoulder many of the accountability for incomes cash.

UK respondents had been much less probably than common to personally maintain conventional views on family duties, however they nonetheless felt that society had conventional expectations.

For instance, solely 14 per cent personally felt that ladies ought to tackle most accountability for childcare, however 43 per cent stated that ladies had been anticipated to be largely or solely accountable. 15 per cent additionally felt that males had accountability for incomes cash, however 38 per cent stated that they felt society anticipated males to be accountable.

19-year-old Ken Brady, Law LLB Student at King’s College London was not “surprised” by the findings and defined younger males are rising up in on-line areas the place masculinity is consistently debated.

“Online spaces – including online communities often described as the manosphere – can create echo chambers where very traditional ideas about gender roles are repeated and reinforced. If you’re exposed to that repeatedly, it can shape how you think relationships or masculinity should work,” he stated.

“I think it’s important to recognise that online discussions and real life can feel like two very different worlds. In my own experience, the views amplified online are often the most extreme, which can make them seem far more common than they actually are in everyday life.”

Professor Heejung Chung, Director of the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s Business School, King’s College London agrees that social media has a powerful affect on younger males.

She stated: “Many male influencers, both in social media and politics, and including even those who are not explicitly part of the ‘manosphere’, emphasise traditional gender roles in terms of what it means to be a man.

“The reason why we see younger men becoming more conservative may be due to the visibility and reach of these social media influencers, and the growing attention given to debates about gender roles. I think they may feel a need to adhere to what they perceive as social norms.”

“Fighting for gender equality isn’t just about putting a few women in a higher position than men. It is about men and women joining together to challenge society, businesses, and governments to provide more – more opportunities, more protections – for both men and women. The challenges we face are shared and addressing them collectively can benefit everyone,” she added.