It is no secret that Generation Z has become a cultural hot topic since coming of age. Projected to be the generation to right societal wrongs, end tobacco use and become the most educated, Gen Z has been the subject of much fixation and analysis. While some of these traits might be true of Gen Z, news outlets such as The Guardian, The New York Post and Time have described Gen Z as a generation of sober virgins who are socially stunted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There appears to be some truth to this blunt characterization. Newsweek reported that 48% of Gen Z had never had sex in 2025, compared to 26% of Millennials. Alcohol consumption among people under 35 has also declined by 10% over the past two decades.
Across generations, it is clear that Gen Z differs in many meaningful ways. However, one of the most striking divides is intergenerational, existing between Gen Z men and women. The gender gap between the priorities, education, opinions and beliefs of Gen Z men and women continues to grow over time.
Marriage and Family
Views on marriage and family are polarized among Gen Z men and women, especially when separated by political affiliation. An NBC News poll asked Gen Z men and women to rank 13 pillars that contribute to their personal definition of success, with results broken down by gender and by which presidential candidate they voted for in 2024. The findings revealed stark differences in priorities. Gen Z men who voted for President Donald Trump ranked “having children” as the most important measure of success, while Gen Z men who voted for Vice President Kamala Harris ranked it tenth on average. Among Gen Z women, Trump voters ranked “having children” sixth, while female Harris voters ranked it at No. 12. When it came to marriage, male Trump voters ranked it fourth in importance, both male Harris voters and female Trump voters ranked it ninth and female Harris voters placed marriage at No. 11.
A study by The Guardian suggested that Gen Z men are embracing more traditional marriage ideals at higher rates than many might expect, with Gen Z men twice as likely as Baby Boomer men to hold traditional values about marriage. The study found that 33% of Gen Z men believe a woman should obey her husband and that men should have the final say in household decision-making. These traditional values align with a broader ideological shift: 31% of Gen Z men identify as politically conservative, a trend that appears to have a direct impact on Gen Z men’s views on marriage, family and gender roles. In total, only 26% of Millennials identify as conservative. When it comes to marriage and family life, conservative Gen Z men and liberal Gen Z women find themselves on opposite ends of the spectrum.
Education and Career
Educational attainment is another area in which the gender divide is becoming increasingly apparent. Since 1995, women have earned bachelor’s degrees at higher rates than men, and that gap continues to widen. In 2024, 47% of women ages 25-34 had completed a bachelor’s degree, compared to 37% of men in the same age group. The trend extends beyond undergraduate education; rates of completion for master’s and doctoral degrees also favor women. During the 2025-2026 academic year, women earned 63.4% of graduate degrees and 59.9% of doctoral degrees. Women have not only secured a place at educational institutions, but have also become a dominant voice within them.
The NBC poll further exemplifies this divide. Among the Gen Z female Harris voters surveyed, “having a job or career you find fulfilling” ranked as the most important marker of personal success, followed by “having enough money to do the things you want to do” at No. 2. Gen Z female Harris voters place more focus on careers and education, while Gen Z male Trump voters prioritize marriage and parenthood. Gen Z male Harris voters and Gen Z female Trump voters tend to fall somewhere in the middle.
As women gain greater access to career opportunities and social taboos surrounding marriage and family wane, a broader cultural shift is in motion. No longer constrained by traditional gender roles or dependent on the financial benefits that marriage once offered, women can now prioritize their educational and professional goals before considering marriage and children. As opportunities have expanded, so too have women’s definitions of success, with marriage and family falling into a larger set of aspirations rather than serving as primary goals. Growth in educational and economic equality has allowed women to pursue academic and professional goals on their own terms, reshaping the priorities of a new generation.
Political Beliefs
When it comes to political beliefs, Gen Z men have been shifting toward the right, while Gen Z women have become the most liberal demographic group in the U.S. 39% of Gen Z women identify as politically liberal, compared to 31% of Gen Z men who identify as conservative. Although both Gen Z and Millennials have similar rates of political polarization across gender lines, the gap is considerably smaller among older generations such as Gen X and Baby Boomers. These trends suggest that the ideological divide between young men and women is not only significant but also uniquely pronounced within Gen Z, shaping their perspectives across the board.
The gender gap is less apparent between Gen X and Baby Boomers. Within these generations, men and women tend to share similar views on political issues and other fundamental beliefs, such as those centered around marriage and family. Gen X and Baby Boomers also have steadier distributions of political party affiliation between genders than Gen Z and Millennials.
Though Gen X and Baby Boomers seem to maintain a higher level of agreement at first glance, divorce rates complicate this assumption. The divorce rate among Gen X and Baby Boomer marriages is higher than that of Millennials. As of 2024, only 3.78% of Gen Z are married, so the divorce rate currently remains largely unknown. Baby Boomers have the highest rate of divorce among generations at 40%, followed by Gen X with 36%. Numerous social and historical factors contribute to the higher divorce rates among Gen X and Baby Boomers, including stronger societal pressures surrounding marriage and fewer educational and professional opportunities for women, which often made marriage more of an expectation.
The Future
The oldest members of Gen Z are only 29 years old, meaning there is still a lot of growth and development yet to come for this generation. Historically, gender gaps in political and social attitudes tend to narrow as generations age. However, given the extent to which Gen Z men and women are polarized on fundamental political and social issues, it may be more difficult for this pattern to hold true.
The gender gap among Gen Z men and women is neither good nor bad. Increasing political polarization could make it more difficult for future Gen Z leaders to find common ground, raising concerns about political gridlock and stunted societal progression. However, many of the cultural changes driving this divide represent meaningful progress. The advancement of women’s education and careers allows for equal footing in schools and in the workplace. If the Millennial divorce rate serves as a predictor, Gen Z may ultimately have the smallest percentage of divorces across generations. It is difficult to speak to the trajectory of Gen Z in the future, as this is a generation that has already defied assumptions and will likely continue to do so. In my opinion, there is merit to finding common ground with others, and a willingness to engage across differences is instrumental to reducing the gender gap between Gen Z men and women.