Fewer women would prefer to switch gender than they once did, study shows

Far fewer women today would prefer to switch gender than they once did, according to a study.

Researchers compared public attitudes and behaviours in the 1930s and 1940s with those in 2024 to find out how society had changed over the course of almost a century.

They found that 37% of women in 1947 said they would rather be a man, with just 9% feeling the same way today.

The team behind the study said the results were a sign of the progress made on women’s rights and equality in the UK.

Men’s preferences remain the same, however – around one in 20 (5%) said they would rather be a woman today, almost the same figure as in the 1940s (4%), the study said.

The research by the Policy Institute at King’s College London also highlights shifts in how much men contribute to housework, the importance of children doing homework, and the desire for higher wages over job security.

Professor Bobby Duffy, director of The Policy Institute, said: “These long-term trends tell us so much about elements of life we take for granted today but are actually pretty new in our history.”

A quarter of men in 1947 said they did no housework, with only 4% of men admitting to this today.

However, women still do the bulk of the chores – according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), women spend around three and half hours a day doing unpaid work activities such as housework and volunteering, almost an hour more than the average man.

The study also found that while people used to value job security over high wages, opinion today is much more closely divided.

Some 73% of people in 1946 said job security was more important, but that figure is only 41% today, with 46% of Brits prioritising the highest possible wages.

Regarding education, only 21% of people in 1937 thought children should have homework – that figure is now 68%.

While Britain used to be split on whether boys and girls should be taught separately (43%) or together (45%), people are now hugely in favour of them being taught together, with this figure at 76%, the study found.

Professor Duffy added: “Many other small but important behaviours have also increased hugely – from keeping fit and the ability to swim, to men’s contribution to work in the home.

“But some have remained remarkably constant, not least that four in 10 of us just struggle to get out of bed in the morning – a very human feeling that seems may always be with us.”