Are Gen-Z Men Regressing? What A Global Survey Reveals About Changing Gender Attitudes

A controversial survey by the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London caused quite the stir some weeks ago. The college survey, ironically conducted for women's day, showed a marked reversal in the Gen-Z men surveyed about the kind of power dynamic they were after in their romantic relationships.

While I’ll get into the specifics of that survey in a minute, it’s also interesting to note that, right on the heels of this report, Louis Theroux: Inside The Manosphere, a documentary by renowned documentarian and journalist Louis Theroux (best known for his choice of controversial, unsympathetic subjects), examining the lives and reach of the ‘red pill’ male influencer dropped on Netflix. On the surface, Inside The Manosphere showed us the same situation from a different lens. It was meant to spotlight the heinousness and hypocrisy of this kind of ‘alpha bro’ influencer; to expose the fraudulent philosophies (and side hustles) they had risen to fame by propagating. It was meant to pull back the curtain on the horror of this growing cult, of young men that were drawn in by the misogynist ‘manosphere’, premised in the world view that the world was ‘feminist-dominated and oppressive to men.’ But when you look closer, the film points at the same thing as the survey; that a lot of young men across the world are leaning into this ideology. While Theroux’s documentary focuses on the most extreme end of this spectrum, and progressive men err to the other end of it (believing fully in equal rights, respect and partnership), the men in this survey reflect a sizeable section of Gen-Z men who fall into the grey area of this worldview.

It doesn’t add up when you first think about it. It seems unlikely that a generation that is significantly more progressive than its predecessors in other regards is so counterrevolutionary in this context. This is a generation where 60% has participated in activism (as opposed to 42% of millennials), 65% of the workforce workers prioritise work-life balance and mental health support (versus 47% of Millennials), 73% of Gen-Z choose brands that support social causes, )compared to 60% of Millennials), 35% of Gen Z identify as non-binary or LGBTQ+ (compared to 20% of Millennials) and 65% of Gen-Z believe expressing emotions openly is essential for a healthy relationship.

None of that neatly aligns with the stats from this survey.

It turns out that, when it comes to relationships, a fair percentage of Gen-Z men isn’t just more patriarchal in their desires than just millennials, but Gen X and Boomers. In this global study of 23,000 people, almost a quarter (24%) of Gen Z men agree that a woman should not appear too independent or self-sufficient, (compared with 12% of Baby Boomer men). 21% of Gen-Z men think a ‘real woman’ should never initiate sex (compared with only 7% of Baby Boomer men). 31% of Gen Z men agree that a wife should always obey her husband and one third (33%) say a husband should have the final word on important decisions.

This worldview extended beyond partnerships. 30% of the men surveyed believe men should not say ‘I love you’ to their friends, compared to 20% of Baby Boomer men. 43% of Gen Z men agree that ‘young men should try to be physically tough, even if they’re not naturally big’. 21% believed that men who take part in caregiving for children are less masculine than those who do not (compared with just 8% of Baby Boomer men). And a whopping 59% of Gen-Z men believe they are expected to do too much to support equality (compared to 45% of Baby Boomer men). [Source: King’s College London News Centre].

But what the survey wasn’t able to unpack is… why? The deeply patriarchal nature of these views is a sharp contrast to the rest of this generation’s belief system. So why do young men feel like this? And why do some feel strongly enough about it that they eventually find themselves buying into ‘the manosphere’ to truly feel seen?

The answer isn’t simple; even Louis Theroux, after a 90-minute deep dive, only scratched the surface of the subject. And for everyone outside of these young men, this approach immediately seems unquestionably toxic and repulsive. But before that behaviour grows into the venomous beast of the ‘red pill misogynist’, there is something at the start of it.

A sense of displacement and fear.

To anyone who’s been a victim of misogyny, this theory will immediately illicit anger. And this theory isn’t meant to excuse this pattern of thought–far from it. As a bisexual woman, the rage is absolutely real. But as a journalist, the circumstances are intriguing.

Theroux points out in his documentary that all the influencers he features have some history of familial abandonment and trauma. That this ‘alpha bro’ crumbles when pushed because it is an adopted façade, a projection of ‘virility’ that is rooted in vulnerability. A vulnerability that makes them incredibly uncomfortable.

For the Gen-Z man that ascribes to these thoughts, the reasoning is something similar. The world, for the last generation, was headed into a direction that was hoping to create equality. But the trouble with equality is that it ignites insecurity. For the parts of the society that have been born into privilege–gender, race, nationality, sexuality, economic or social privilege–equality isn’t always covetable. It is also disconcerting, because it threatens the systemic advantages that created that privilege in the first place. It means moving toward a world where no one can feel more entitled to anything–from a job, to benefits, or even a relationship–than anyone else, without working for it.

In this scenario, some young men see this equality as desirable; while some view it as a threat to a world where they are valued. But the key distinction between these worldviews is the men that feel confident in their place in the world, regardless of circumstance, versus men that feel unsteady. And while my instinct as a bisexual woman is to say something to the effect of ‘cry me a river’, the journalist in me can see how fear is at the root of that feeling of victimisation.

Looking at how much this discourse has always made its way to the mainstream, (cc: world politics), it can feel like a lost cause. But it helps to understand that there is work that can be done to reverse this reversal. This work lies in early education that places male value in different things–in kindness and respect over dominance and subjugation, in being a good person over being a ‘provider’ or ‘protector'. It comes from dismantling the dated idea of what ‘masculine’ is, and redefining it.

And, for the existing group of Gen-Z men that ascribe to these beliefs, that work can also be done in many small ways. The first is the simple act of engaging with literature and pop culture that has a different point of view; that opens up the idea that men can be just as happy and fulfilled (if not more) in an equal world. The second is to allow themselves a true network of support–and then, to build it. Ryan Gosling’s new sci-fi film, Project Hail Mary, is an interesting commentary about the male loneliness epidemic, about how strong friendships fall to the wayside in pursuit of other things–and the lack of that breeds isolation. And often, in turn, anger.

This survey might be startling, but it needn’t be disheartening. Is it on a dangerous incline? Absolutely. But it also isn’t a morbid, unfixable reality. It points out a growing perspective in young men–men very much capable of learning, unlearning, and questioning the conditioning they were raised with. The isolation they experience, and are afraid of, is repairable. Women have historically been expected to fix it for them; and for many Gen-Z men, that structure is enticing because it takes the load off them.

But as the world adjusts to a new reality, with women choosing to stay single more, and marriage rates declining, this almost feels like a necessary phase of discomfort for men, because it indicates an undeniable shift in gender norms. The optimist in me believes that this point of view is a reaction, an extreme that comes from the uncharted waters of masculinity in the new world. Some will never adapt to it; and so, the ‘manosphere’ will endure. The rest, hopefully, will; and this will be just an old statistic; the marker of a movement that, ultimately, tied into the idea of a more equal future.