One of the UK's most influential writers and cultural commentators visited King's Business School for a special IWD event.
The King's Global Institute for Women's Leadership this week hosted its annual event to mark International Women's Day, with Chair and former Prime Minister of Australia Julia Gillard being joined in conversation by broadcaster and author, Caitlin Moran.
In a wide-ranging conversation reflecting on her upbringing, Moran described how her early experiences shaped her feminist perspective. Growing up as the eldest of eight children in a household where traditional gender roles were visible, she became aware of inequalities early on.
"One of the first things I noticed growing up was the difference between 'boys' jobs' and 'girls' jobs'. The girls were doing the endless work - childcare, cooking, laundry - while the boys had the five minute job of taking the bins out. That was the first time I started questioning how these roles were defined."
A central theme of the discussion was Moran's 2023 book What About Men?, which explores the pressures facing boys and men today. She highlighted how expectations around masculinity often begin in childhood.
"Teachers told me that around age six you start hearing phrases like 'boys don't cry' or 'boys don't hold hands'. From that point on boys begin to learn that sharing feelings or vulnerability is something they should avoid."
She argued that this shift can limit boys' ability to share problems or organise collectively in the way women's movements have done historically.
"Feminism succeeded because women shared their experiences and organised together to change things. Boys are often discouraged from doing those same two things -sharing problems and organising to solve them."
The event, hosted in partnership with Ipsos UK, also featured insights from Kelly Beaver MBE, Chief Executive of Ipsos UK and Ireland, who presented findings from the new global study of attitudes towards gender equality, carried out jointly by Ipsos and the Institute.
Presenting the research, Beaver highlighted clear generational divides in attitudes towards gender roles.
"Among Gen Z men, 31% agree that a wife should always obey her husband, compared with 18% of Gen Z women and just 6% of Baby Boomer women. A third of Gen Z men also say a husband should have the final word on important decisions."
The study also highlights a gap between personal beliefs and perceived social expectations. Globally, 17% personally believe women should take on most childcare and 16% say women should shoulder most household chores, yet 35% believe this is what society expects.
In Great Britain, only 14% personally believe women should take on most childcare, but 43% say this is what society expects. Similarly, 15% personally believe men should be responsible for earning money, yet 38% say they believe society expects men to be the main earners.
The evening ended with audience questions on topics including political representation of women, social media influence and how men can engage more actively in conversations about equality.
The full International Women's Day Survey 2026 report is available on the King's Business School webpages.
