Gen Z men twice as likely as baby boomers to believe wives should obey husbands

Global survey shows young men hold more traditional views about gender roles than older generations

Almost a third of generation Z men think a wife should obey her husband, according to a global survey of 23,000 people that found young men hold more traditional views about gender roles than older generations.

A third (33%) of gen Z men also said a husband should have the final word on important decisions, according to the 29-country survey which included Great Britain, the US, Brazil, Australia and India.

It found that gen Z men (born 1997-2012) were twice as likely as baby boomer men (born 1946-1964) to have traditional views on decision-making within a marriage, with just 13% of men in the older cohort agreeing that a wife should always obey her husband. Among women, 18% of gen Z and 6% of baby boomers agreed.

People of both genders in Indonesia (66%) and Malaysia (60%) were most likely to agree with the statement, compared with 23% in the US and 13% in Great Britain.