As new research reveals Gen Z men are more conservative than boomers, we speak to three male feminists about their experiences
A recent study by King’s College London found that young men and women are diverging on attitudes towards gender. The research, based on a representative survey of 3,716 people aged over 16, found that young men are more likely to have negative attitudes towards gender equality than young women, and, in some cases, are no more supportive of action on gender equality than older men. Most strikingly, only a third (36 per cent) of men aged 16 to 29 think feminism has done more good than harm for society, and a small subset – 16 per cent – think feminism has done more harm than good. That’s nearly double the nine per cent of young women who feel the same.
So, if you’ve felt like we’re going backwards, you’re not necessarily wrong. To anyone who spends a lot of time online, it’s unlikely that any of this is particularly surprising: a quick scroll under one of Andrew Tate’s clips on Instagram exposes the sexism that permeates his fanbase, while FYPs are flooded with discussion around “brokies” and relationship advice rooted in patriarchal gender roles.
While figures like this are distressing, it’s important to note that it’s still a small proportion of young men who feel negatively towards gender equality – they’re just a loud minority. In reality, there are a lot of young men who feel positively towards gender equality and feminism as a whole. While it’s true that Gen Z men are statistically less likely than millennials to identify as feminists, young male feminists do exist. Dazed caught up with a few of them to find out what makes them tick – and how we can get others on board.
ADAM ENGLAND, 24, BATH
How did you get into feminism?
I grew up in a left-leaning, Labour-supporting household, but I was about 14 when I developed my own political consciousness. It was also around this time I realised I wasn’t entirely heterosexual and didn’t really like the sort of more aggressive masculinity I saw a lot of my peers adopt. I think I got into feminism naturally, given the trajectory of my political views. I fell into it. Before this, I hadn’t given much thought to feminism or sexism and would unwittingly use phrases like ‘man up’ or ‘you fight like a girl’. I wasn’t explicitly anti-feminist, I just wasn’t educated.
How did you educate yourself on feminism?
When I was 17, I read Everyday Sexism by Laura Bates and that was an eye-opener. I’ve continued to read the likes of bell hooks and Angela Davis to broaden my horizons, too. Also a big fan of The Transgender Issue by Shon Faye. But it was music, as well as books, that helped me lean into feminism a bit more: I discovered feminist artists like X-Ray Spex, Dream Nails, Dream Wife – as well as the likes of Little Simz, Lorde, Dua Lipa, who might not be overtly political in their music all the time, but definitely influenced me to some degree.
NEW: an ideological divide is emerging between young men and women in many countries around the world.
— John Burn-Murdoch (@jburnmurdoch) January 26, 2024
I think this one of the most important social trends unfolding today, and provides the answer to several puzzles. pic.twitter.com/kG4qQReqfT
Do you have any positive male role models?
I love Akala, I think he’s spot on when it comes to pretty much everything and I’m a fan of his music – the clip of him totally schooling Tommy Robinson is just beautiful, and I could watch it all day.
I’ve always been a Jeremy Corbyn fan, too – I don’t agree with him on absolutely everything but it was so refreshing to have someone in a prominent position in the UK shifting the conversation in the way that he did, having the discussions that we just weren’t having in the same way pre-2015 and forcing them into the mainstream. And, he’s been a constant anti-racist, feminist and queer ally, which is particularly important with the ubiquity of transphobia in mainstream politics in recent years.
Why aren’t more men willing to identify as feminists?
As men, we often don’t realise our privilege, and when our privilege is highlighted, we’ll often go on the defensive. We’ve also seen so many voices jump on this and exploit the fears of men – Andrew Tate, Jordan Peterson, etc – that men even from a very young age are being socialised to believe that feminism is bad. They refuse to acknowledge that many of the reasons they’re unhappy stem from the patriarchy. I don’t think feminism needs to be made more palatable for men, because what’s the point in serving up half-baked feminist ideals that won’t be as impactful just to make men feel better? I think feminist men need to be more vocal – not talking over women and non-binary people but amplifying their voices and supporting when needed, because unfortunately, many men will listen to other men more than they’ll listen to people of other genders. It’s our responsibility.
“I think the online space can push these young men into thinking more and more extreme things” – Kieran Maxwell
KIERAN MAXWELL, 28, LONDON
How did you get into feminism?
I was interested in politics from quite an early age, and I joined the Labour Party when I was 15 because I wanted a fairer, more equal society. I think what came with that was an understanding that some groups in society have a harder time than others, but I don’t think I thought about that very deeply until later.
A turning point for me was when my first proper girlfriend and I started going out to clubs and bars when we turned 18. I knew sexual harassment in these kinds of places was obviously a big issue, but I don’t think I appreciated the sheer scale of it. I vividly remember her telling me that it happened to her every single night out and I couldn’t believe it, I thought it was a once-in-a-blue-moon type thing. So that really cemented it for me as well. Shout out to my first girlfriend Caitlin for making me the feminist I am today!
How did you educate yourself on feminism?
I think an important moment for me was the conversation that took place after the murder of Sarah Everard. Before then, I don’t think I really realised why my women friends would ask me to text them when I got home after a night out, I thought they were just being a bit much, to be honest! The outpouring of stories from women going into detail about the steps they take to get home safe at night, getting stalked and abused by men, was eye-opening.
Why aren’t more men willing to identify as feminists?
I am really worried about this reactionary hyper-masculinity we’re seeing online from the likes of Jordan Peterson and Andrew Tate and these so-called pick-up artists. This stuff is pushed on young men so easily. Every so often I find myself scrolling through YouTube Shorts, and I think, because the algorithm knows that I’m a man younger than 30 who likes football and video games, it pushes the Andrew Tate-style content onto me – no matter how much I click ‘dislike’.
I think the online space can push these young men into thinking more and more extreme things. There’s also a lack of shared neutral social spaces for people to mix [in real life], and for other men to give these young lads the encouragement and gentle challenge that they sometimes need. I think we need to be clear that feminism isn’t about hating men, and that gender equality can benefit all of us.
NEW: Young people's attitudes to masculinity and women's equality show signs of an emerging gender divide, with the views of men and women often differing more within younger, rather than older, generations.
— The Policy Institute (@policyatkings) February 1, 2024
Our latest culture wars study with @IpsosUK & @GIWLkings 🧵⬇️ pic.twitter.com/LovdiswGah
EDWIN ANSAH, 27, MANCHESTER
How did you get into feminism?
For me, feminism means equity and equality for women in all aspects of life – but there wasn’t a particular turning point for me becoming a feminist. I can’t recall anything or anyone inspiring me to become one; I suppose it’s just a realisation I came to as I got older, though I do feel like it’s the logical conclusion to reach for any half-decent person in a patriarchal world.
Why aren’t more men willing to identify as feminists?
The two main answers that come to mind are fear and ego. You have your incels and Andrew Tate fans who believe women should be submissive, ‘stay-at-home wives’ and conform to their gender roles – I think they’re scared that the feminist movement will disrupt this power imbalance. They also feel like women owe them something, whether that’s modesty or just a chance [of a date], and believe the rhetoric that women have all the choice, and only go for the top one per cent.
I think they just need their brains rewired through some heavy education, because they have a lot of things wrong. So much of these men have been spoon-fed bullshit online, so they have all these wrong ideas and concepts – but if they were actually just to listen to women they would realise that everything they think is wrong.