Gen Z are more divided than any other generation on key questions about feminism, gender roles and women’s rights, a new global survey has found.
Meanwhile, more than half of Australian men believe they are being asked to contribute too much towards achieving gender equality.
The differing views on support for equality between the genders was uncovered in the global study, which was carried out in 30 countries by Ipsos in collaboration with the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London for this year’s International Women’s Day.
According to the survey, which interviewed more than 24,000 people online between December 20, 2024 and January 3, 2025 — Australian men are more likely than women to believe that gender equality has gone far enough. Less than half of participants believe that there will be significant progress towards gender equality within the next five years, while more than 50 per cent think there is tension between the men and women in the country.
A generational divide around the future for young women was observed in the findings — Baby Boomers are much less likely than Gen X, Millennials or Gen Z to report tension between men and women. Almost two-thirds of Australians believe that young women today will have better lives than their mothers’ generation. Australian women are also likelier to report that life will be worse in the next five years compared to Australian men.
According to the study, 53 per cent of Gen Z women saying they define themselves as a feminist, compared with 32 per cent of Gen Z men. This gap was bigger than any other generation surveyed.
Ipsos Australia Senior Research Executive, Ellie Kirby believes that the findings from the study provide critical insight into Australians’ attitudes toward gender equality progress and the complex nature of gender equality in the country.
“These findings likely reflect the difference in life experiences of Australian men and women and suggest the need for continued efforts to ensure a shared understanding of the ongoing challenges and need for further progress toward gender equality,” she said. “Moreover, the portion of Australians who believe men are being asked to contribute too much towards achieving gender equality highlights a potential misunderstanding of the shared responsibility in promoting equality.”
“When looking at Australians’ perceptions of the future of gender equality, generational divides highlight the complex nature of progress and the varying experiences and perspectives across age groups,” she added. “Some younger Australians show more confidence in Australia’s progress towards gender equality in the next five years, with Millennials being the most optimistic, significantly more so than Gen X or Baby Boomers, and Gen Z coming a close second.”
Kirby acknowledged that while the findings suggest there may be hope for future progress, there is also a recognition of the ongoing challenges and the need for continued efforts to achieve genuine gender equality.
“[We] must consider the perspectives and experiences of different generations,” she said.
The survey also found that three in five Australians believe that things would work better if more women held positions with responsibilities in government and companies, while over half believe that women won’t achieve gender parity unless there are female leaders in business and government. Globally, almost two in five believe that efforts towards gender equality made by government and businesses have been positive.
Kelly Beaver MBE, Chief Executive of Ipsos in the UK and Ireland, noted the “battle of the sexes” was also observed in the UK and Ireland, describing it as “a salient force within Gen Z, with 59 per cent of this age group saying there’s tension between men and women in their country, compared to 40 per cent of Baby Boomers.”
Beaver said that despite a majority of the global study claiming that gender equality is important to them personally, there continues to be “divergent attitudes toward gender equality more broadly, particularly among this younger cohort.”
“Gen Z men are significantly more likely than other groups to believe that efforts towards women’s equality have gone too far, with many even believing that these efforts have led to discrimination against men,” she said. “These divisive sentiments are coupled with less optimism for the future of today’s young men, compared to that of young women.”
Particularly when considered against the backdrop of recent elections in the US and Germany, where young men were significantly more likely than young women to back right-wing political parties, our data underscores the urgent need for nuanced conversations and inclusive solutions that address the concerns of all genders. We must find ways to bridge this divide and ensure that progress towards gender equality benefits everyone, without leaving anyone behind.”
Globally, agreement that efforts towards gender equality have gone far enough has dropped by five percentage points — so too has agreement that men are being expected to do too much to support equality.
Young men were found to be far more likely than young women to agree that a man who stays home with his children is less of a man, and that efforts toward women’s equality have gone so far that men feel they are being discriminated against.
Professor Heejung Chung, Director of the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London blames politicians and the media for “…capitalis[ing] on a zero-sum game narrative – framing the advancement of women as the cause of broader societal grievances, such as the decline of well-paid, secure jobs.”
“It is essential to promote a growth mindset, reinforcing the idea that gender equality can benefit everyone,” he said. “We remain committed to demonstrating how advancing gender equality improves the lives of both men and women, strengthens society, and drives business success.”
Across 30 countries, including Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, and the US, almost 70 per cent of participants believed that achieving equality between men and women is important to them personally — though more women agreed with this statement than men.
The gender gap in this statement was found to be highest in European countries, including Great Britain, the Netherlands, Poland and Belgium — however, the highest was found in South Korea, with more than three quarter of participants saying there is tension between men and women. The country’s gender wage gap remains the largest in the developed world, with women earning 31 per cent less than men as of 2022. In Australia, the gender wage gap in 2022 was 13.8 per cent.
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