Almost A Third Of Gen Z Men Think A Wife Should Obey Her Husband

Survey: Gen Z Men Twice As Likely As Boomers To Say Husbands Should Have The Final Word At Home

Nearly one in three Gen Z men around the world say a wife should always obey her husband, according to a new global survey of 23,000 people. Somewhat surprisingly, younger men are more likely to hold this view than older generations. Gen Z men, born between 1997 and 2012, were roughly twice as likely as Baby Boomer men to agree with the statement.

Overall, the survey, conducted by Ipsos and the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London, found that 31% of Gen Z men believe a wife should be obedient to her husband. Moreover, 33% said a husband should have the final word on important household decisions. Among Baby Boomer men, those born between 1946 and 1964, those figures dropped to 13% and 17%, respectively.

Gen Z women tell a different story. Just 18% agreed a wife should always obey her husband. Among Baby Boomer women, that figure fell to just 6%. Within Gen Z itself, young men and young women are moving in opposite directions.

Gen Z Men Hold More Traditional Views on Gender Roles Than Any Other Generation

Released to mark International Women’s Day 2026, the survey spans the U.S., Great Britain, Brazil, Australia, India, and 24 other nations. Its portrait of Gen Z men is consistent across a wide range of questions, not just marriage.

About 24% of Gen Z men agreed that a woman should not appear too independent or self-sufficient, more than double the rate of Baby Boomer men at 12%. On sex, 21% of Gen Z men said a “real woman” should never initiate, three times the 7% seen among Baby Boomer men. Views about masculinity followed a similar pattern: 43% of Gen Z men agreed young men should try to be physically tough even if they are not naturally big or strong, and nearly a third said men should not tell their friends “I love you,” compared to 20% of Baby Boomer men. And 21% believed men who take part in childcare are less masculine than those who do not. Among Baby Boomer men, just 8% agreed.

Across these measures, the results suggest Gen Z men are more likely than older generations to agree with several traditional gender-role statements.

A Contradiction Inside Gen Z Men’s Gender Attitudes

The data also reveals a contradiction. Gen Z men were the group most likely to say women with successful careers are attractive, with 41% agreeing, compared to 27% of Baby Boomers. In other words, the same young men who favor traditional roles in marriage are also the most drawn to ambitious women.

Kelly Beaver MBE, Chief Executive of Ipsos UK and Ireland, called it one of the defining features of this moment. “Particularly among Gen Z, our data shows an interesting duality: they are both the group most likely to agree that women who have a successful career are more attractive to men but are simultaneously most likely to agree that a wife should always obey her husband and that a woman should never appear too self-sufficient or independent.”

Whether online culture, economic pressure, or a backlash to rapid social change is driving these attitudes, the survey does not say. What is clear is that this is not a generational relic. These are young men, raised with the internet, and these are their views.

What People Privately Believe vs. What They Think Society Expects

One of the survey’s most counterintuitive findings has nothing to do with Gen Z specifically. Across all 29 countries, very few respondents personally hold the traditional views that dominate the headlines. Only about one in six said women should be primarily responsible for childcare (17%) or household chores (16%). Fewer than a quarter (24%) believed men should carry most of the financial burden.

Yet most people assumed their neighbors believed exactly that. More than a third (35%) thought most people in their country expect women to handle domestic work. Four in 10 (40%) believed most people expect men to be the main earners. Globally, 31% assumed people in their country think men should have the final word at home, while only 21% personally agreed.

Britain offers a vivid illustration. Just 14% of British respondents personally felt women should be primarily responsible for childcare, but 43% assumed that was what society expected. On earnings, only 15% held that view personally while 38% believed it was the social norm.

That gap matters, because people often conform to what they believe others expect, even when those expectations do not reflect reality. Professor Heejung Chung, Director of the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s Business School, sees this as central to the problem. “Our data reveals a striking gap between people’s personal views, which are far more progressive, and what they imagine society demands of them. This gap is particularly pronounced among Gen Z men, who not only appear to feel intense pressure to conform to rigid masculine ideals, but in some cases seem to also expect women to retreat to more traditional ways of being.”

Why Gen Z Men’s Gender Views Have Broader Consequences

Fifty-nine percent of Gen Z men said men are already expected to do too much to support gender equality, well above the 45% of Baby Boomer men who felt that way, and higher than the 41% of Gen Z women who agreed. The findings suggest that many young men feel increasing pressure around expectations related to gender equality.

Former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Chair of the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership, put it plainly: “Not only are many Gen Z men putting limiting expectations on women, they are also trapping themselves within restrictive gender norms.”

Researchers stop short of assigning a single cause, and the survey’s global scope means no one country or culture tells the whole story. But the results raise an uncomfortable possibility: the assumption that every new generation moves steadily toward more progressive views on gender roles may not always hold true.

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