New study reveals fewer Gen Z boys believe in gender equality as parents react shockingly

It started with a TikTok that went viral.

Creator Livi Rae (@livi_rae7) looked straight down the camera and asked: “Boy mums and boy dads, what the hell is going on with your sons?”

She wasn’t being dramatic. She was responding to new research showing fewer boys believe women should have the same opportunities or equal pay as men. Numbers that, as she put it, “fell off a cliff.”

And it is not just an American issue. Here in Australia, recent analysis of the HILDA survey shows that Gen Z men, those aged 13 to 28, are increasingly likely to believe in traditional gender roles, even as their sisters, cousins and classmates move further away from them.

So while girls are sprinting toward equality, a number of boys are quietly drifting the other way.

More than a blip

Economist Erin Clarke, from the e61 Institute, analysed Australian data from the long-running HILDA survey and found Gen Z men (born between 1997 and 2012) are increasingly likely to believe in traditional gender roles – things like “men should earn the money while women care for the kids.” Clarke’s work was reported by The Guardian in April, and it revealed something no parent really wants to hear: young men today are more likely to hold sexist views than millennial or Gen X men.

Meanwhile in the U.S., writer David Waldron analysed data from the Monitoring the Future study and found a similar drop. Between 2018 and 2023, the number of 8th and 10th grade boys who completely agreed women should have the same job opportunities as men fell from 63 percent to 45 percent. Belief in equal pay also took a dive.

So this isn’t a blip. It’s a trend.

The online pull of the manosphere

If you have noticed your son parroting lines about the pay gap being a myth, or rolling his eyes at the word “feminism,” chances are he has not plucked those ideas out of nowhere.

The “manosphere” is a web of influencers, podcasts, YouTube channels and TikToks that drip into their feeds disguised as self-improvement or entertainment. Figures like Andrew Tate have built entire empires telling boys that women cannot be trusted, should be controlled, or are somehow to blame for their struggles.

It sounds dramatic, but researchers liken the way boys get drawn into this ecosystem to radicalisation. It starts small: a joke, a meme, a “just banter” clip. Then the algorithm does the rest, serving up more extreme content until misogyny feels normal.

And that is the part that is scary. Most kids are not searching this stuff out. It is finding them.

So what can parents do?

Child safety expert Kristi McVee, who spent a decade in the WA Police Force as a Specialist Child Interviewer and Detective Senior Constable, says the worst thing we can do is leave the internet to raise our kids.

“The algorithm isn’t neutral. It is persuasive, addictive and designed to shape and control beliefs. If we are not guiding them, the algorithm will,” McVee tells Kidspot.

Here is her advice for families navigating this space:

1. Make it normal to talk about what they are watching

“Ask who they follow and what makes them laugh or think. Sit and scroll together. That is how you will spot red flags: dehumanising humour, glorified misogyny, unsafe or inappropriate content, and subtle recruitment into harmful ideologies.”

2. Use layered safety, not just blocks

“Parental controls, safe search, device filters all matter. But they do not replace conversations. Frame these tools as protection rather than punishment to keep trust intact. Work together to shape the online experience.”

3. Teach them to ask why

“Do not just shield, equip. Help your child spot persuasion techniques, question motives and unpack what they are being shown. The goal is not obedience, it is critical thinking.”

4. Curiosity is your secret weapon

“Let them teach you what they are seeing. Ask how it makes them feel. It is not about surveillance, it is about connection, insight, and staying relevant in their world.”

Why this matters

The research is clear. Support for gender equality among young men is slipping, both in the U.S. and here in Australia. It is not a moral panic. It is measurable, real, and it risks shaping not just the lives of women and girls, but the kind of men our boys grow up to be.

This is not about raising “perfect feminists.” It is about raising respectful, thoughtful kids who can see through manipulation and treat others as equals.

As McVee puts it: the internet is persuasive, addictive and designed to shape beliefs. But with guidance, curiosity and honest conversations, parents can plant stronger seeds. The kind that help our boys grow into men who value equality, not fear it. 

Kristi McVee is an ex-detective and specialist child interviewer who has written the book Operation KidSafe – a detective’s guide to child abuse prevention to share the knowledge she gained in the Police with parents and caregivers.