The lost boys? A call to examine gender equality attitudes and the men of Gen Z

Although over the past decade there has been deceleration, stalling and even reversal in global gender parity measures, overall attitudes to gender equality among men (and women) have consistently become more positive across successive generations, a pattern considered to be an indication of gradual normative change. In this article, I consider overall trends in a set of recent attitude surveys and highlight findings that suggest a deviation from this trajectory in a segment of the population, at least in some parts of the world: a backlash in the attitudes of Generation Z men (now in their teens and twenties). I situate the issue of gender attitudes among males in this age cohort in the literature by identifying gaps and pointing to existing relevant research. While acknowledging data inconsistencies and methodological issues, I flag the findings from the set of surveys reviewed as a call for more attention to Gen Z men and highlight some immediate implications for researchers and practitioners seeking to promote gender equality and tend to the challenges and needs of young men.