Wtf: 31% of Gen-Z men believe that women should ‘obey their man’

There is something I need to share with you. Recently, I was scrolling through my for-you page when I came across something. Something shocking. A study with a result that has such a big red flag that you could use it as a muleta in bullfighting: 31 percent of Gen-Z men really think that women should obey their husbands. Yes, you heard that right. Gen-Z. The new generation thinks that women should say yes and amen to everything their husband ‘demands’. We thought that by 2026 we would be emancipated enough, but nothing could be further from the truth.

What in the actual- is this study about?

Honestly: I fell off my chair when I saw that headline. More than thirty percent still thinks so old-fashioned? But it’s true: researchers from the New King College London and Ipsos investigated opinions surrounding traditional gender norms among young men. Specifically Gen-Z men, those born between 1997 and 2012. You would expect these boys to think progressively. In an era where we have experienced everything from MeToo, the Epstein Files, and a lot of good changes, it can't be otherwise. Right? That's what I thought, yes. Yet these men, who live spread across 29 countries such as the United Kingdom, America, Brazil, Australia, and India, still believe the Andrew Tate truths. Seriously? The last time I checked my calendar, we were living in the twenty-first century.

And the study was about more than just ‘obeying’. 24 percent of the men felt that women should not come across as independent or self-sufficient. It’s better if they can be ‘the savior in distress’. Wow. It’s like we’ve gone back to the fifties. But it gets even better: 21 percent thought that ‘real women’ should never, ever show initiative when it comes to sex. Not having to be the one who jumps on top is nice, but never? Apparently, these kids have not experienced the sexual revolution. And as if it couldn't get any worse, almost 60 – yes, sixty! – percent of the respondents think that we promote equal rights too much nowadays and actually discriminate against men. Yes, sorry. But isn’t that absurd?

How can it be that modern men think like this?

That surprised me too. How can it be that men, who literally have access to the internet, literature, and the opinions of women, have such a harmful worldview? I always thought that Gen-Z men were the most progressive of all. They come from a modern time where women are no longer silenced and just say what they think honestly, right? Deep down, everyone already knows the answer: men who spread their sexist and macho norms without any shame. Those Andrews Tates of this moment preach that ‘a woman belongs in the kitchen’ and ‘you don't need consent’. The opinions of a few individuals have spread across the internet like a digital virus.

And who does that nonsense end up with? Exactly: boys. And specifically young boys who are impressionable. They like a video and end up in a TikTok web of extreme stories about misogyny and hatred towards women, where violence and crossing boundaries are seen as the norm. That content is presented to them in such a way that before they know it, they are raised with a completely distorted view of respect for women. They think: “This is how it should be.” They share that ‘information’ with their friends at school or at work. It spreads well and yes; you get a lot of men walking around with these thoughts.

Maybe those guys should first learn how to make a stamppot without using ChatGPT. Or how to make their bed without the help of a woman. Because this behavior? That's really insane. Without women, many men are nowhere – and yet a lot of boys still think this way. So no: the fight for gender equality is far from won. If you ever think: “Is feminism still necessary?” Then you can quickly slap yourself in the face, because we are far from where it should be.