can be perceived as redistributing already scarce opportunities, feeding a zero-sum mindset. The study also shows that polarisation around feminism is often overstated. Across countries, there is broad support for equality as a democratic principle and widespread recognition that inequalities persist. The divide lies less in core values and more in framing, language and emotional salience. Many young women openly identify with feminism, while many young men support its aims but feel uneasy with the label. Social media shapes these perceptions indirectly, but the findings do not suggest that openly anti-feminist narratives dominate young men’s views overall. 4. Promote inclusive gender norms. Support education and awareness initiatives that encourage emotional literacy, shared caregiving, and more diverse models of masculinity and femininity, while challenging stereotypes in leadership, work and family life. 5. Reduce polarisation governance. through effective Young people want politics that delivers. Progressive actors should prioritise visible problem-solving and credible results, especially on housing, jobs, inequality and social protection. For progressive politics, the central conclusion is clear: the emerging gender divide within Generation Z should be understood less as a deep ideological split and more as a reflection of insecurity, precarity and weak institutional trust. Policy recommendations 1. Rebuild material security for young people. Strengthen early-career prospects; enforce equal pay; improve wage transparency; and expand family-friendly workplace policies such as paid parental leave, affordable childcare and flexible working arrangements. 6. Link structural reform to lived experience. Policy communication should show how collective reforms improve everyday life by increasing freedom, dignity, security and future opportunity. This is essential for building broad support across gender lines. Overall, the study finds that support for gender equality remains broad among young Europeans. This gives progressive politics real space to advance equality, provided it is embedded in a wider agenda of economic security, democratic credibility and fair life chances for all. 2. Strengthen social protection in the transition to adulthood. Expand affordable housing, targeted youth employment support, income protection and access to reproductive healthcare to reduce precarity and improve life planning. 3. Invest in mental health support. Scale up accessible services for young adults, reduce stigma around help-seeking among men, and respond to the high levels of anxiety and insecurity reported by young women. 12 EqualiZe