According to a newly-released global study by Ipsos and King’s College London, of all generations, it’s Gen Z men who hold the most conservative gender views (and yes, that includes baby boomers). These include beliefs like ‘a wife should always obey her husband’ as well as views around women’s equality (it’s gone far enough, or even too far, apparently) – oh, and that men should figure out problems on their own. Here’s what you need to know.
Trigger warning: This article discusses suicide statistics in New Zealand.
A global study has found that nearly one in three Gen Z men (31%) agree that a “wife should always obey her husband.” That’s compared to just 13% of Boomer men who feel the same.
(To put that into context: Your 25-year-old married colleague is statistically more than twice as likely to believe they should have an obedient wife versus your 70-year-old uncle. ISN’T THAT WILD?)
That statistic is according to The Ipsos International Women’s Day 2026 report, conducted in partnership with King’s College London, where more than 23,000 adults across 29 countries were surveyed about gender equality.
The findings clearly show that Gen Z men actually hold the most conservative gender views – debunking the widely-held belief that Gen Z is the most progressive generation.
Let’s look at some more stats that awakens some female rage, shall we?
What Gen Z Men Think About Women
- 57% of Gen Z men think promoting women’s equality has gone so far it’s now discriminating against men – compared to 38% of Gen Z women. That’s a 19-point gap.
- 59% say men are being expected to do “too much” to support equality – the highest of any male age group.
- 61% say that when it comes to giving women equal rights, things have already “gone far enough.” Tell that to all the mothers who have been financially penalised and demoted in their careers for having children, while the fathers get promoted or get pay bumps.
- Gen Z men (21%) are nearly twice as likely as Gen Z women (12%) to agree that “a real woman should never initiate sex.” God forbid a woman owns her sexuality!
These stats are quite confronting – even shocking. But over here at Capsule, unfortunately they’re not surprising.
Last year, Capsule covered the NZ Gender Attitudes Survey which showed one in three young NZ men already believed gender equality had gone too far.
These backward beliefs are being held by our own young men – the next (or even current) generation of fathers and leaders.
While NZ wasn’t included in the Ipsos study, across the ditch, Australia was one of the 24 countries that was. Since 2019, Australia has seen one of the biggest shifts globally – a 15-point increase in people saying equality has “gone far enough”.
What Gen Z Men Think About Themselves
The study also highlighted a disappointing, and IMHO a quite sad set of beliefs that young men hold about masculinity:
- 43% of Gen Z men think young men should try to be physically tough even if they’re not naturally big – nearly double the rate of Boomer men (25%). The gap between Gen Z men and Gen Z women on this is 15 points, twice as wide as any other generation.
- 32% think men should figure out problems on their own rather than asking for help. The biggest gender gap of any generation – as 19% of their Gen Z women counterparts believe this.
- 30% say men shouldn’t tell their friends they love them – compared to 20% of Boomer men.
These stats are especially troubling, when beliefs like these can have real consequences on a young person’s mental health and the growing loneliness problem.
In New Zealand, males are more than twice as likely to die by suicide than females, and over the past two decades, the suicide rate for young males aged 15-24 males remained at least twice as high compared with young females.
Believing you have to go through everything on your own absolutely has real consequences.
So… Why are Young Men Going Backwards?
The study is entirely quantitative, so it doesn’t tell us why Gen Z men hold the most conservative views across all generations.
What with the rise of the manosphere – which the hit Netflix show Adolescence beautifully displayed the affect it can have on our youngest males – and the trickle-down from the United States’ MAGA and far-right religious views, what else could we have expected to happen?
Last year, when Capsule spoke to Suzanne Manning from the National Council of Women NZ – Te Kaunihera Wāhine o Aotearoa, she said: “The pushback against gender equality – and progressive attitudes in general – is a global pushback.
“We don’t have much control over the global pushback, but other things are within our control. Young people, in general, imbibe their family’s values, then peer values – and once they’re young adults, they’ve got some fixed, firm views of how the world works.
“That’s psychology – and this is my opinion: over the years you find out the world doesn’t work quite in the rigid fashion that you thought at age 20.
“So with these young men, what has their family upbringing been like? What has their schooling been like? That’s a chance to intervene.”
A New Generation of Mothers
I really don’t want to end on a doom and gloom note, so here’s some good news (based on the algorithm of someone who is chronically online.)
There’s a growing, vocal community of mothers online who are intentionally raising their sons with the knowledge of the societal burden women have to carry – not just in public, but also at home.
Trends like “raising my son so his future wife doesn’t have to” – like simply being taught the responsibility of household chores that’s often put on daughters, ie cooking, washing dishes, laundry and cleaning.
They’re also modelling what healthy masculinity and emotional intelligence looks like – and yes boys, don’t bottle everything up and it’s okay to ask for help!
Fathers are doing it, too. A dad was educating his two sons on periods – the hormone fluctuations, the fatigue and the menstrual pain.
Is it enough?! Honestly, I don’t know, but I hope so. The mansophere started online too and look what that did.
See the full report here.
Where to get help:
- Need to talk?: Free call or text 1737 to talk to a trained counsellor.
- Healthline: Call 0800 611 116, available 24/7
- Safe to talk: a 24/7 confidential helpline: 0800 842 846, text 4334, webchat safetotalk.nz or email support@safetotalk.nz.
- If it is an emergency or you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 111.
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