Young, Progressive, Female - The Expanding Gender Gap in Socio-Cultural Attitudes

Recent reports have drawn attention to a growing ideological divide between young men and women in several Western societies, with women becoming more progressive while men lean increasingly conservative. Although widely discussed, this phenomenon lacks a robust theoretical framework and empirical validation. This study is the first to investigate this pattern in the German context. Based on original survey data collected in 2022, this paper examines nuanced gender differences across cohorts on a range of socio-cultural issues. The findings reveal a widening gender gap among younger cohorts - doubling in size compared to the oldest cohort. Young women, propelled by higher educational attainment and personal investment in progressive issues, emerge as the most progressive group. In contrast, young men show little to no attitudinal change across cohorts, maintaining similar levels of conservatism as their predecessors. One explanatory mechanism appears to be perceptions of fairness: young men view inclusive measures only acceptable if they feel like they are getting their own fair share in society. These findings suggest that recognition of marginalized groups is increasingly viewed through a zero-sum lens, indicating a deepening and likely persistent divide in socio-cultural attitudes with far-reaching implications for gender relations, political polarization, and social cohesion.