Sociology
Cohort Replacement and Shifting Attitudes Toward Gender Equality
Quick fact
Research shows that a large portion of the shift toward more egalitarian gender attitudes in Western countries since the 1970s is due to cohort replacement—the gradual exit of older, less egalitarian generations—rather than within-individual attitude change.
Why this is interesting
Most people think society becomes more equal because everyone changes their mind. But what if the real engine is simply that the people who hold old-fashioned views are literally dying off?