1 in 3 Gen Z Men Say Wives Should Always Obey Husbands

Gen Z men around the world tend to embrace old-school ideas about marriage and gender more than other generations, a new global survey suggests. Nearly a third of men in this cohort—born between 1997 and 2012—say a wife should always obey her husband, more than double the percentage of baby boomer men (13%) and also higher than Gen X (21%) and millennials (29%), according to the study out of King's College London. Meanwhile, 18% of Gen Z women agree with that sentiment, along with 6% of boomers, 13% of Gen Xers, and 19% of millennial women. More:

• Agreement with the "wife should obey" statement varied widely in the 29-nation survey, with people of both genders most likely to agree in Indonesia (66%) and Malaysia (60%), compared with 23% in the US and 13% in Great Britain, the Guardian reports.

• On expectations of women, 24% of Gen Z males said women shouldn't appear too independent or self-sufficient, and 21% said a "real woman" should never initiate sex—far higher levels than among baby boomer men (12% and 7%). Only 12% of Gen Z women agreed that they shouldn't initiate sex, and 7% of boomers.
• More than half of Gen Z males (59%) feel men are being asked to do too much for gender equality, compared with 45% of baby boomer men. Similar, but lower, generational gaps appear among women: 41% for Gen Z and 30% for boomers.
• At the same time, 41% of Gen Z males find women with successful careers more attractive, and the survey shows strong support overall for measures like increasing the number of women in government, suggesting a complex mix of progressive and traditional views.
• Overall, however, it's "deeply concerning to see traditional gender norms persisting today," in the view of Heejung Chung, director of the Global Institute for Women's Leadership at the college's business school.