The research may help to explain the debate over whether Gen Z is more progressive or conservative, as studies often conflictingly report Gen Z is left leaning on some issues, but conservative on others.
According to Alice Evans, one of the leading researchers on the topic from Stanford University, Gen Z is diverging into two generations: progressive Gen Z women and conservative Gen Z men.
And according to the Korea Times, the country's gender split is leading to fewer Koreans dating — a Gallup survey revealed that over 50% of unmarried Korean men and women in their 20s and 30s find each other difficult to relate to. South Korea has the lowest birth rate of any country in the world, dropping to .78 births per woman in 2022.
The Financial Times added that the divergence is self-sustaining and now extended beyond gender-related issues. John Burn-Murdoch wrote, “In the US, UK and Germany, young women now take far more liberal positions on immigration and racial justice than young men, while older age groups remain evenly matched.”
Burn-Murdoch argued that the gap is only growing, noting that young people's early political experiences are hard to shake off. He added that social media is only exacerbating the divide between young women and men who increasingly inhabit separate spaces and cultures online.