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Gen Z boys’ attitudes to feminism are more nuanced than negative
By Emily Setty, University of Surrey, Jonny Hunt, University of Bedfordshire
Young men are more likely than older men to think that feminism has done more harm than good, according to a new survey, suggesting a backward step in attitudes to gender equality. Young women aged 16-29 are also slightly more likely than women aged 30-59 to say that feminism has done more harm than good.
The survey, conducted by King’s College London and Ipsos, also found a growing divergence in attitudes towards feminism, masculinity and gender equality between young men and young women.
On the surface, the findings chime with our experiences of conducting research directly with young people on these topics and delivering relationships and sex education in schools. But in both our work and the survey data, the reality is more nuanced than these headline findings suggest.
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Most of the survey sample — including the younger age groups — do not sit at the more divided extremes of the response options. While 16% of men aged 16-29 thought feminism had done more harm than good, more than double this proportion, 36%, thought it had done more good than harm.
Who’s a feminist?
In our recent experience of working in schools delivering and evaluating an educational session designed to address harmful sexual behaviour in schools, we asked the young people how many would identify themselves as a feminist. In response, there were often just two or three hands raised, often accompanied by an odd snide comment from one of the boys.
Both boys and girls seem disinclined to endorse feminism, with this perhaps counter-intuitive tendency among young women having been seen for some time.
But when we probe a little deeper and ask if they believe in equality between genders or what they understand by feminism, a different picture emerges.
The young people we work with often have a firm understanding of the inequality that exists between men and women.