Gefjon Off talks at BrIAS Seminar Series

3. Februar 2026

Foto: BrIAS

Gefjon Off presents on "Young men’s and women’s gender equality attitudes – a Gen Z gender divide?"  at the Brussels Institute for Advanced Studies (BrIAS) Thursday Seminar series on 03 February 2026. 

Her presentation refers to a working paper by Amy Alexander, Nicholas Charron and Gefjon Off. Their study investigates the paradox that, despite widespread support among young people for gender equality, young men are increasingly adopting conservative attitudes toward certain gender equality measures. The authors argue that rising labor market competition between young men and women, leading to a perceived loss of economic privilege among young men, partly explains this shift. Using repeated cross-sectional survey data from several economically advanced democracies and panel data from the Netherlands, covering a period of approximately 15 to 30 years, the study demonstrates that as young women's competitiveness has improved over recent decades, young men's attitudes have become more conservative. The findings suggest that the economic vulnerabilities experienced by young men in the context of increasing gendered labor market competition contribute to their decreasing support for gender equality.

Please find a video of the presentation on YouTube. 

The Thursday lunchtime seminars are part of the BrIAS programme. The BrIAS programme looks at why many democracies are struggling today and what can be done to strengthen them. It focuses on four main issues:

• polarization, populism, and violence
• democratic short-termism and sustainability
• technology, misinformation, and artificial intelligence
• inequality and inclusion

The program is structured around these four work packages, while also aiming to provide solutions. A cross-cutting theme of democratic innovations offers pathways to help democracies adapt and thrive.