Writing in The Conversation, Professor Katherine Twamley (UCL Social Research Institute) examines growing evidence that Gen Z is turning away from traditional forms of dating and long-term romantic relationships.
Decline in sexual activity, rise of a certain "heteropessimism" or claimed celibacy... there is growing evidence that Gen Z is turning away from traditional forms of dating and long-term romantic relationships. At the same time, there is a political divide between young women - more liberal - and young men - more conservative. How can these developments be analysed in the light of the political, social and economic context?
Signs of a political divide between young men and women have been observed over the past year. Election data in several countries indicate that women aged 18 to 29 are significantly more liberal, while younger men are more conservative. A recent study conducted in 30 countries also found that Gen Z is more divided than previous generations on issues related to gender equality.
At the same time, there is growing evidence that this generation is turning away from dating. According to data from the National Survey of Family Growth , between 2022 and 2023, 24% of men and 13% of women, aged 22 to 34, reported no sexual activity in the past year.
This is a significant increase compared to previous years. And American teenagers are less inclined to maintain romantic relationships than those of previous generations.
In the United Kingdom, surveys conducted over the past few decades reveal a downward trend in sexual activity, both in terms of the frequency and number of partners among young people. Dating apps are also losing their appeal, with major platforms seeing significant declines in users among straight Gen Z last year.
A gendered political divide
Does a gendered political divide make meetings more difficult? As sociologists of intimacy, our work has shown how relationships are affected by broader social, economic, and political trends.
Our on the persistence of gender inequalities shows that they can affect the quality of intimate relationships as well as their stability.
For example, heterosexual relationships often rely on an unequal distribution of emotional and domestic work, even among couples with similar incomes. Some commentators and researchers have identified a trend toward " heteropessimism " - a disenchantment with heterosexual relationships, often marked by irony, detachment, or frustration. Many women express weariness with the gender inequalities that can appear in relationships with men.
But heteropessimism has also been identified in men and research has shown that women are, on average, happier single than men.
Take domestic work. Despite advances in gender equality in many areas, data shows that in heterosexual couples, women still take on the majority of household and caregiving tasks. In the United Kingdom, women do on average 60% more unpaid work than men. This gap persists even within couples where both partners work full-time.
In Korea, persistent gender inequality is considered to be the root cause of the 4R movement. Young Korean women, tired of gender stereotypes that confine them to traditional roles, say they reject marriage, motherhood, romantic relationships and sex with men.
In this country and elsewhere, on social networks, young women call themselves " boy sobers " [literally "sober boys", ndlr_]. Harassment, abuse, and "toxic behavior" on dating apps have, according to some accounts, distracted many of them from wanting to date.
Others have opted for voluntary celibacy. One explanation is that, for some women, the challenge to reproductive rights - such as the repeal of Roe v. Wade (which guaranteed the federal right to abortion in the United States, editor’s note) - makes privacy issues fundamentally political.
Political disagreements that once could have been overcome in a relationship have now become deeply personal, as they touch on issues such as women’s right to control their bodies and the experiences of misogyny they may experience.
Of course, women are not the only ones to suffer from gender inequalities. In the area of education, data suggests that boys are falling behind girls at all levels in the UK, although recent research shows that the trend has reversed in maths and science.
Many men feel that they are deprived of opportunities to care for their children, in part because of outdated standards on parental leave, limiting the time they can devote to them.
Some influencers capitalize on the real or supposed harms of men, spreading their retrograde and sexist views of women and couples on the social networks of millions of boys and young men.
Far right and anti-feminism: why this alliance appeals to so many young men
Given all this, it’s no surprise that young men are more likely than young women to say that feminism has " done more harm than good."
Anxiety and uncertainty
But broader political and economic issues also influence young men and women, and condition the way they - or even decide - to socialize. Gen Z is coming of age at a time of economic depression. Research shows that people facing economic hardship may struggle to establish and maintain intimate relationships.
This may be partly due to the fact that the beginnings of a romance are strongly associated with consumerism - dining out, gifts, etc. But there’s also a lack of mental space for hookups when people are under pressure to make ends meet. Financial insecurity also affects young people’s ability to afford housing and, therefore, to have private spaces with a partner.
There is also an increase in mental health problems reported by young people around the world. Anxieties related to the pandemic, the economic recession, the climate and international conflicts are omnipresent.
These worries are reflected in romantic encounters, to the point that some see a romantic relationship as an additional risk from which it is better to protect oneself. from heterosexual dating app users in the UK, aged 18 to 25, found that they often perceive dating as a psychological confrontation - in which expressing interest too early can lead to humiliation or rejection.
As a result, neither young men nor young women feel safe to show genuine interest in a potential partner. This often locks them into the famous, and often criticized, "talking stage", where relationships struggle to progress.
As Lisa Wade and other sociologists have shown, even in casual sex, emotional attachment is often deliberately avoided.
If Generation Z is turning away from romantic relationships, it is not necessarily because of a lack of desire to connect, but probably because of an increased sense of vulnerability, fuelled by a rise in mental health problems and a climate of social, economic and political insecurity.
It may not be a rejection of relationships on the part of young people. Perhaps they find it more difficult to find emotionally safe (and financially accessible) spaces that are conducive to the development of intimacy.
This article first appeared in The Conversation on 13 August 2025.
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