Almost a third of Gen Z men believe a wife should obey her husband and that a husband should make important decisions, according to new research.
A global study of 23,000 people across 29 countries that found stark differences between different generations of men when it comes to gender roles.
Gen Z men (born between 1997 and 2012) were twice as likely as Baby Boomer men (born between 1946 and 1964) to have traditional views on decision-making within a marriage, with just 13 per cent and 17 per cent of Baby Boomer men agreeing with those statements respectively.
In comparison, just 18 per cent of Gen Z women agreed that a wife should always obey her husband and only 6 per cent of Baby Boomer women 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 said. “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 conducted by Ipsos in 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 almost a quarter of Gen Z men agree that a woman should not appear too independent or self-sufficient, compared to just 15 per cent of Gen Z women.
Despite this, Gen Z men were also the group most likely to believe that women who have a successful career are more attractive to men, with 41 per cent agreeing with this statement compared to 27 per cent of Baby Boomers of both genders.
People generally expressed more equal views with only one in six respondents saying that women should take on most childcare (17 per cent) or household chores beyond childcare (16 per cent), and under a quarter (24 per cent) believing that men should shoulder most of the responsibility for earning money.
UK respondents were less likely than average to personally hold traditional views on household responsibilities, but they still felt that society had traditional expectations.
For example, only 14 per cent personally felt that women should take on most responsibility for childcare, but 43 per cent said that women were expected to be mostly or entirely responsible. 15 per cent also felt that men had responsibility for earning money, but 38 per cent said that they felt society expected men to be responsible.
19-year-old Ken Brady, Law LLB Student at King’s College London was not “surprised” by the findings and explained young men are growing up in online spaces where masculinity is constantly 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 said.
“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 strong influence on young men.
She said: “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.
Gen Z adults drinking more than millennials were at same age, study finds
A golden sweep by Team USA in Olympic hockey led to celebrations that got complicated and political
The faces of Mexico’s disappeared haunt this city's streets. Families worry they will be wiped away
Men in their 50s and 60s suffer faster aging because of forever chemicals
UK’s first charter flight to evacuate Britons from Middle East fails to take off
‘A wrong and broken system’: Readers fear bills spike amid Iran war
