On 5 March, in anticipation of International Women’s Day, results of an annual global survey conducted at King’s College London (KCL) revealed that many Gen Z men hold traditional views on gender roles.
The survey analysed responses from 23,000 people aged 16 and over across 29 countries. It revealed a divergence in attitudes towards gender roles across generations of men.
Notably, 31% of Gen Z men agree that a wife should always obey her husband, compared to 13% of men from the baby boomer generation. Furthermore, 24% of Gen Z men believe women should not appear too independent or self-sufficient, compared to 12% of baby boomer men.
The research was conducted by Ipsos and the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership (GIWL). It was led by Heejung Chung, Professor of Work and Employment at King’s Business School and Director of the King’s Global Institute for Women’s Leadership.
GIWL is an organisation within KCL that advocates for women’s equal representation in leadership positions. It is chaired by Julia Gillard, the only woman to have served as Prime Minister of Australia.
In January 2025, Professor Chung succeeded Rosie Campbell, Professor of Politics at KCL, as Director of GIWL after 6 years in the role. Outlining her plans for the organisation, Professor Chung wrote:
“We need to reshape work culture, better promote inclusive feminism, and foster greater collaboration with men.”
Responding to the results, Professor Chung expressed concern that traditional gender norms persist today, stating:
“Our data reveals a striking gap between people’s personal views, which are far more progressive, and what they imagine society demands of them.”
She noted that Gen Z men particularly “appear to feel intense pressure to conform to rigid masculine ideals”. In some cases, they also seem to “expect women to retreat to more traditional ways of being.”
Professor Chung suggested this may stem from fears about men losing social positions, alongside a lack of positive and diverse models of masculinity.
GIWL argues that more equal and flexible approaches to gender roles are linked to improved well-being for men, women, and families alike.
Looking ahead, Gillard explained:
“We must continue to do more to dispel the idea of a zero-sum game in which women are the only beneficiaries of a gender-equal world.”
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