It is generally assumed that young people are more liberal than older generations. However, according to a study carried out in 29 countries, including the UK, shows that almost one-third of Gen Z men believe that a wife should always obey her husband. A similar number says a husband should have the final say on important decisions.
Although those stats are for a 29-country average, it reflects worries about a masculinity crisis among young men in the UK. What century are we living in? It could be a snapshot from the 1970s, but the figures are from a survey published this week by Ipsos and the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London. Even five decades ago, men in the UK who expressed such views could expect to be laughed at. They were swimming against the tide, as legislation was passed outlawing sex discrimination and creating a (theoretical) right to equal pay.
So, it is hard not to be shocked by the discovery that so many men born after 1996 share views that appear to belong to an out-of-touch religious conservative. The days when women were expected to “love, honor and obey” should be long gone.
Illustration: Yusha
What the survey also reveals is a gap between Gen Z men and women. Fewer than one-fifth — 18 percent — of Gen Z women surveyed agree that women should obey their husbands, suggesting a substantial mismatch between the sexes in this age group.
What is also striking is the gap between different generations. My age group, the baby boomers born between 1946 and 1964, had liberal views on many subjects, from who should initiate sex to whether it is okay for women to appear independent.
The views of Gen Z women and baby boomer women seem more closely aligned, with the vast majority of both groups rejecting the bizarre notion that women should not seem too self-sufficient. At one level, this demonstrates that women are more invested in equality between the sexes than men. Of course we are, having suffered for centuries from hardline attitudes to gender roles. In secondary school, I was told I could not take A-level economics, because “this is a girls’ school.” It was not unusual in the 1970s to be told that we needed a male guarantor to get a mortgage.
At the same time, I got a free university education and never worried about struggling to find a job. Looking back, the baby boomers in Western countries were able to be an unusually optimistic generation, something that encouraged liberal social attitudes. It is easier to think about other people’s rights when you are not burdened by debt, unable to find a job and anxious about the future.
The first wave of Gen Z was about 11 years old when the global financial crisis struck in 2008, ushering in years of austerity. Tuition fees in England soared to ￡9,250 (US$12,313) a year in 2017, while the COVID-19 pandemic slammed into the jobs market three years later. One possible reaction to hostile economic conditions is to hanker after an idealized past when gender roles were clear cut, and that is bad news for women in the same age group.
An alarming retreat into “traditional masculinity” could be indicated by the Gen Z men (43 percent) in the survey who agree that “young men should try to be physically tough, even if they’re not naturally big.” If they feel pressure to conform to rigid gender stereotypes, they are quite likely to have similar expectations of women. Such attitudes are encouraged by the fact that a great deal of social interaction is online, where Gen Z men are a target group for misogynists such as Andrew Tate.
The results of academic research can seem dry, but there is a connection between attitudes and behavior — and it is an inescapable fact that violence against women is at epidemic levels in the UK. Five years ago this week, the abduction and murder of Sarah Everard exposed huge failures in the police. Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has marked the anniversary with a shaming admission that he understands why some women still do not trust the force.
Misogyny is the driver behind these crimes, and its ubiquity has not happened in a vacuum. Women and girls are an easy target for young men who are angry and want someone to blame for their low self-esteem. Harsh economic conditions might be an explanation, but they are certainly not an excuse. Reactionary attitudes are shared by a minority of Gen Z men, for the moment, but they show a worrying sense of direction. Always calling them out and giving young women the confidence to challenge damaging stereotypes is more important than ever.
Joan Smith is an author, journalist and a former chair of the mayor of London’s Violence Against Women and Girls Board. Her latest book is Unfortunately, She Was a Nymphomaniac: A New History of Rome’s Imperial Women.
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