Generation Z is known for being one of the most progressive generations to date, and they are leading the conversion around gender fluidity, sexual orientation, mental health, and pro-nouns. However, their progressive views appear to fall off in one area: feminism.
Oddly, some Gen Z men appear to hold regressive views around gender equality and many of the previously accepted arguments of feminists.
While it’s important to note that not all Gen Z males hold these views, those that do tend to fall at the more extreme end of things.
For a growing number of young Gen Z men, the idea that women should be granted the same rights, power, and opportunities as males is considered somewhat harmful.
This is an unusual quandary where the ultra-progressive appears to be colliding with the ultra-regressive days of misogyny.
Let’s take a look at 18 reasons why ‘woke’ Gen Z men think feminism is harmful.
Misunderstanding of Feminism
Some Gen Z anti-feminist views seem to come from a misunderstanding of what exactly feminists stand for. It appears that some young men mistakenly believe that feminism in some way advocates for the domination of men by women when this is not the case.
Feeling Threatened
Gen Z are the first generation of men to have been overtaken in almost ever measure of “perceived success” by women. From education to employment and even salaries, in many instances, Gen Z females outperform their male counterparts. This has obviously left Gen Z men feeling threatened, and in some ways, we can’t blame them, but this isn’t an excuse to attack the basic gender equality that feminism fights for.
Andrew Tate
Andrew Tate is a curious phenomenon who is almost a parody of himself, and he appears to know it. However, many of the young men who follow him don’t. Tate projects a facade of what every 14-year-old boy might think is cool; he smokes cigars, drives flashy cars, and has attractive women on his arms.
Furthermore, Tate appears to speak to the naive, insecure, threatened ego of young Gen Z males who want to be told that they are better than women, and he tries to normalize misogyny to a generation who don’t fully understand its legacy. Tates narrative is a big factor in why ‘woke’ Gen Z males think feminism is harmful.
Anti-Male Message
Some Gen Z men have interpreted feminism as harboring some anti-male messages that assert that men are bad, inherently oppressive, or dangerous. This then provokes a defensive response in these young males, but they have misread the modus operandi of feminists who seek equality and egalitarianism for all.
Social Media
Research shows that a lot of young people get their “news” and information about political and social issues from social media instead of recognized media organizations. While many official news outlets operate within strict codes of impartiality, anyone can host a podcast online and share whatever personal opinions they want, which will almost always hold some form of bias. Furthermore, as social media is currently unregulated, many accounts can spread fake news and views on whatever they want with no adherence to any fact-checking procedures. This means that influencers like Andrew Tate can do just that: influence the opinions of young men in ways that may not be a fair reflection of feminism, leading to negative perceptions.
Traditional Gender Roles
It seems as if Gen Z men are missing a piece of the puzzle, and because they missed out on the decades where women had to fight for equal rights, pay, and even to be able to vote, that they lack understanding of the restrictions that traditional gender roles once placed on women. Gen Z men who consider themselves as ‘woke’ can’t see a problem with women sticking to more traditional roles, which they see as natural, but this boils down to a lack of awareness of why and how these gender roles were oppressive to females in past generations.
Neglected Needs of Masculinity
Some Gen Z men perceive feminism as focusing too heavily on issues that only affect women, and a lot of young Gen Z men claim to feel that the needs of masculinity are being neglected and put second to the needs of femininity.
Career Competition
In 2020, women began outnumbering men in the labor market, holding 50.4% of jobs in America. This has indeed signaled to young men that they have some competition when it comes to succeeding in the workplace. As feminism advocates for gender equality in employment and fair pay, Gen Z men feel threatened by the continued success of women in business and, thus, feminism.
Economic and Social Insecurities
Men have been socialized to equate their ability to generate wealth with their self-worth, self-esteem, and confidence. As women have been outperforming men in the board room and on graduation scores across America, young men have started to feel more economically and socially insecure around their female peers. Therefore, attacking feminism and citing it as ‘harmful’ is possibly a tactic that’s part of their defense mechanism.
Dating Dynamics
Gen Z men have been finding it hard to date, and some claim the reason for this is because most of their female peers are precisely the type of women who champion the socially progressive ideologies that they have been calling “harmful.” If Gen Z men are hoping to get a date, we think that they might need some better pick-up lines than “feminism is harmful” or anything that Andrew Tate would say.
Conservatism
Research shows that while young women in America are becoming more socially progressive and liberal, young men appear to be moving in the opposite direction towards more conservative ideologies. As feminism is a socially progressive, liberal movement, fewer and fewer Gen Z men seem to identify with its values.
Cultural or Religious Beliefs
Some Gen Z men who believe that feminism is harmful come from more traditional religious or cultural backgrounds and have grown up surrounded by males and females in traditional gender roles. This has led them to see theories that threaten the status quo of their traditional upbringing as harmful.
Negative Personal Experiences
If you are a Gen Z male who believes that feminism is harmful, and/or you are an Andrew Tate supporter, and you meet a progressive, liberal female who is in favor of feminism, you may not have such a positive experience, particularly if you verbalize either of these two points. This would be like two polar opposites colliding, and it may only reinforce Gen Z men's notion that feminism is harmful.
Anti-Feminist Thought Leaders
The internet these days is the Wild Wild West of thought leadership, and any cowboy and his donkey can saddle up and take unsuspecting folk for a ride. As Gen Z is still quite young and mostly under 30, they may be more vulnerable to becoming fans of some charismatic orators who are more interested in gaining followers and talking about trending topics for likes and clicks than creating any genuine content.
Extreme Feminist Influencers
As there are anti-feminist influencers, there are also extreme feminist influencers who may promote negative narratives about men and masculinity. This content is usually floated on social media, and the more provocative that it is, the more likely it is to trend or go viral. Therefore, Gen Z men have most likely been exposed to some extreme feminist speakers who have only reinforced their misconceptions of liberal feminism as harmful.
Resistance to Social Change
Humans as a whole do not like change, and it may be the case that Gen Z men don’t want to confront the wave of social change that is washing over their generation, and maybe they see a rejection of feminism as a way to resist it.
Perceived Inequality in Legal Matters
Matters such as child custody, domestic violence cases, and divorce settlements tend to make some men think that the justice system has been manipulated by feminism to be in favor of women. And this could be a contributory factor in why Gen Z men view feminism as harmful.
Fear of Loss of Male Privilege
Some Gen Z men might see feminism as a challenge to their male identity and fear that its influence might cause them to lose some of the privileges and advantages that they currently benefit from while maintaining the status quo.
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