Consistent Egalitarianism or Heterogeneous Belief Patterns? Gender Ideologies of the Younger Generations in Contemporary Germany

Abstract

This paper examines the prevalence of gender ideology classes among younger generations in contemporary Germany and analyses whether chances of class membership differ by gender or region. Studies based on a multidimensional understanding of gender ideology for Germany are rare and rely on ten-year-old data. This study draws on data from 18,530 women and men aged 18-49, collected in 2021 as part of the representative Family-Demography Panel Study FReDA, and applies latent class analysis to eight gender role attitude items. Subsequent regression modelling allows the identification of important predictors of gender ideology class membership. The largest identified class are the egalitarians, which forms the one end of the gender ideology spectrum, while the smallest class, the traditionals, forms the other. In addition, there are two heterogeneous classes, the egalitarian essentialists and the intensive parenting endorsers. Both men and West German residents have significantly higher chances of belonging to a class other than the egalitarians. The findings show that egalitarians are widespread and traditionals are rare among the younger generations in Germany, but above all that a considerable proportion of respondents have heterogeneous belief patterns. This is in line with international research showing that attitudinal change is not necessarily stalled, but rather that there has been a diversification of gender ideologies.