Gen Z men are twice as likely as baby boomers to think wives should obey their husbands

Almost one‑third of Generation Z men say a wife should obey her husband, a worldwide poll of 23,000 respondents revealed, showing that younger men still tend to hold more conventional ideas about gender roles than older cohorts.

A similar share (33 %) of Gen Z men also argued that a husband should have the final say on major decisions, the 29‑nation survey – which covered the United Kingdom, the United States, Brazil, Australia and India – reported.

The study found that men born between 1997 and 2012 were twice as likely as baby‑boomer men (born 1946‑1964) to endorse traditional views on marital decision‑making, with only 13 % of the older group agreeing that a wife should always obey her husband. Among women, 18 % of Gen Z respondents and 6 % of baby‑boomers shared that view.

Respondents of both sexes in Indonesia (66 %) and Malaysia (60 %) were the most inclined to agree with the statement, versus 23 % in the United States and 13 % in the United Kingdom.

The annual research, carried out by Ipsos together with the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London, highlighted a sharp generational gap in men’s attitudes toward gender roles:

‑ Nearly a quarter (24 %) of Gen Z men think women should not appear overly independent or self‑sufficient, compared with 12 % of baby‑boomer men.
‑ Views on sexual norms also diverged, with 21 % of Gen Z men believing a “real woman” should never initiate sex, against just 7 % of the older cohort.
‑ More than half (59 %) of Gen Z men felt men are expected to do too much to promote equality, versus 45 % of baby‑boomers; the corresponding figures for women were 41 % and 30 %.

Although Gen Z men were the most likely to say a woman should not seem overly independent, they were also the group most prone to view women with successful careers as more attractive to men – 41 % endorsed that notion.

Prof Heejung Chung, director of the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership and lead author of the research, noted some hopeful signs, such as broad agreement that more women should serve in government.

Yet, where comparable data exist, the picture points toward more traditional attitudes. In 2019, 42 % of people worldwide said women’s rights had progressed far enough in their country; that figure has risen to 52 % today, a 12‑point jump in Britain.

“I think there are many grievances, a lot of fear about men losing social standing,” Chung said. “A vacuum is being filled with rhetoric that pits young men against gender equality, against young women, and against migrants.”

The survey also indicated that Gen Z men hold more conventional expectations about their own behaviour, for example:

‑ Thirty percent of Gen Z men believed men should not say “I love you” to friends, compared with 20 % of baby‑boomers and 21 % of Gen Z women.