Gen Z Rebels Against Their Elders Over Gender, Sex

Say what you want about Gen Z – they only work from home, they’re social justice warriors, they can’t put down their screens – they know what they want from their sex lives.

A new survey claims that Gen Z is redefining relationships and “carving out its own paths in sexuality, embracing fluid identities, and reimagining traditional relationship structures to reflect their complex realities.”

Feeld – a location-based dating app for users “open to experiencing people and relationships in new ways” – headlined the global survey in a partnership with Indiana University’s Kinsey Institute.

“The data from Feeld Members offers a fascinating glimpse into how Gen Z is redefining relationships,” Kinsey Institute Research Fellow Justin Lehmiller, PhD, explained. “Their openness to exploring more fluid ways of being, coupled with an unexpected affinity for monogamy, suggests a generation that is simultaneously challenging and embracing tradition.”

Some Surprising Views of Sex

Perhaps reflecting the age gap, Gen Z couldn’t be more different than their older counterparts. In a surprising twist, for example, the research shows that Gen Z embraces some “romanticized views on monogamy,” unlike Boomers, with their more casual approach to marital commitment.

• Nearly a quarter of Gen Z – 23 percent – claim monogamy as “the most preferred relationship style.” While that number seems low, it’s far ahead of where Millenials (16 percent), Boomers (12 percent), and Gen Xers (9 percent) stand on the subject.
• In fact, the survey found that 81 percent of Gen Zers “fantasize” about monogamy, and 44 percent of them fantasize about it often. That’s at nearly twice the pace as their forebearers.

Sexul orientation is another area where Gen Z breaks from its predecessors – more than half of them identify as something other than heterosexual. This stands in stark contrast to a Gallup poll from just two years ago that showed that more than 86 percent of Americans overall identified as such. In that same poll, a little more than 20 percent of Gen Zers identified as LGBTQ.

Perhaps more importantly, Gen Z doesn’t see sexual orientation or even gender identity as a static character trait: 10 percent of them admitted to changing their gender identity since joining the app. And 18 percent of them reported a change in their sexual orientation.

And this mirrors the Kinsey Institute’s earlier research, which suggested that younger generations are increasingly open to exploring their identities throughout their lives.

Some Context – and What It Might Mean

It’s worth noting, however, that Feeld designed its app for users with already admittedly fluid opinions about gender, sexuality, and relationships. As a result, the numbers would naturally be skewed.

That being said, it doesn’t change the reality that Gen Z is redefining gender and sexuality as the paths one’s life takes – rather than the destination.

“For me, the essence of the insights here is that each person’s and every generation’s evolution is constant and often unpredictable,” Feeld CEO Ana Kirova said. “I hope that in seeing these discoveries, we all feel inspired to hold space for our shared human experience in all its fluidity.”

Further Reading

Chronic Smartphone Use Linked to Teen Anxiety, Depression, and Insomnia

College Students Turning To Cannabis Over Alcohol

42% of Gen Z Diagnosed With a Mental Health Condition