CULTURE | ADVOCACY & POLICY | EUROPE | UNITED KINGDOM| ECONOMY
Generation Z and the Great Gender Divide
WORDS BY LAURA DARCEY | LAURA@THEIWI.ORG | 29 MAY 2024
Are we more liberal than our parents? That’s been the trend for generations, with each cohort becoming more liberal and open to new ideas than the one before. But this trend may be bucked by young Millennials and Generation Z. Young women are more liberal than ever, but the same cannot be said for young men.
Polling data from 20 developed countries has shown that, whereas two decades ago there was little difference between the share of women and men aged 18-29 who described themselves as liberal rather than conservative, the gap has grown to 25 percentage points, with women becoming more liberal and men heading towards conservatism. In 27 European countries, men under 30 were more likely than men over 65 to agree that “advancing women’s and girl’s rights has gone too far because it threatens men’s and boy’s opportunities”. And in the UK, a Kings College London study found that one in four men aged 16 to 29 now believe it’s harder to be a man than a woman(i).
It may be time to start worrying about a shrinking common ground between young men and women. Diametrically opposed political and social beliefs may make friendships and romantic relationships a challenge. We are at risk of seeing a real fractious division among this generation of young people, marking the need for the consideration of both sides. While women’s issues have been dominating the gender discourse, it is time to lend an ear to the challenges facing young men today, or we risk that void of attention and understanding being filled by far-right politicians and extremist influencers.
Growing resentment, with women to blame
Times are not great for young people. After losing formative years to Covid-19, we now are faced with economic stagnation, divisive politics, inflation and a cost of living crisis across the world. Home ownership seems a far-off dream, with many struggling to move out of the family home. Young men, particularly white, heterosexual young men who historically haven't faced discrimination, are noticing they are no longer the most dominant demographic group in society. When things go wrong, people look around for who they might blame, and increasingly, women are taking the fall(ii).
European men living in areas where unemployment has recently risen have been found to be more likely to resent women and believe that feminism has gone too far(iii). This resentment is stoked by misogynistic social media influencers like Andrew Tate, who use men’s frustrations to push a narrative that men are struggling because women are getting undue rights and advancing at their expense. With many other “cultural influencers” peddling similar divisive and misogynistic content, young men can fall down social media rabbit holes, exposing them to confirming view points and reducing their receptiveness to opposing perspectives.
Simultaneously, in many realms of life, young women are thriving. Unburdened by many of the shackles experienced by previous generations, women are finding their voice and creating feminist communities online. In the classroom women succeed at higher rates than men. Globally there are 100 women in higher education for every 88 men(iv). In the European Union 46% of women earn degrees, compared to only 35% of men, a gap that has doubled since 2002(v).
Differences in education not only foster differences in attitude – campus life is often a cocoon of liberalism, and graduates across the world tend to be more left-leaning – but also launches those with degrees onto a higher economic trajectory. Educated, left-leaning (and heterosexual) women look for partners with similar attributes. Couple this with the fact that more women are happy to remain single, and we’re left with a mis-match. Less educated men struggle to find female partners, and find themselves at an economic disadvantage. Floundering to find success in two such fundamental aspects of life, those left behind are more likely to become resentful.
No more winners and losers
Gender-related issues are often approached with a zero-sum mentality, fostering a belief that if women are doing better, men must be doing worse(vi). Feminism is perceived by some as an effort from women to gain control of the hierarchy, and to push men into an oppressed state. But this is so far from the truth. It is possible for feminism to excel while also listening to and uplifting men. We can all be winners.
But today, young men are tired of being painted as the villains. In democracies across the world, politicians on the right stoke male grievances, while many on the left rarely acknowledge that young men have real problems. They worry that devoting time to men’s issues will take oxygen away from women’s issues. Increasingly young men are confused about their place in society. Labels like ‘toxic masculinity’ are thrown around indiscriminately, alienating young men instead of drawing them into a dialogue about their behaviour. It is unsurprising that many retreat into an online manosphere where they are reassured by cultural influencers that they did nothing wrong and women are to blame.
Fundamentally, neither side of the political spectrum has done much to tackle underlying problems facing young men. One realm for change is education, specifically making school work for underperforming boys. Hiring more male teachers and giving boys role models to look up to could help, as could having boys start school a year later to account for the fact that they mature more slowly than their female counterparts(vii). Additionally, men have watched the desegregation of the labour market move in one direction, with more jobs opening up to young women. Beefing up vocational training for young men to move into occupations they currently shun, such as health, education and administrative positions, could improve their economic prospects.
Ultimately this divide will be difficult to close. But simply criticising young men for becoming more conservative will only push them into the embrace of divisive politicians and influencers. Instead, we must work to create a more inclusive social and political climate that listens and acts on the challenges facing today’s young men. A generation of happier and more prosperous young men can only be a good thing.
i. The Guardian, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/02/first-edition-gen-z-men-women-political
ii. The Economist, 2024, https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/03/14/making-sense-of-the-gulf-between-young-men-and-women
iii. The Economist
iv. The Times, 2024, The New Political Gender Gap
v. The Economist
vi. Daily Bruin, 2024, https://dailybruin.com/2024/03/05/opinion-political-polarization-of-genders-will-change-the-landscape-of-future-elections
vii. The Economist