Nine in ten Belgians believe that men and women should receive equal opportunities, possess the right to equal pay for equal work, and that discrimination must be actively fought, Nieuwsblad reported.
Those figures emerge from an initial analysis of the ‘#YouToo? 2.0’ survey conducted by the Institute for the Equality of Women and Men. While broad agreement underpins these fundamental goals, public consensus fractures significantly when the conversation turns to the division of domestic and caregiving labor.
When polled on whether men are just as capable as women of taking on caregiving duties, 96 percent of women and 92 percent of men agreed. Yet, the proposition that household chores should be split equally within a home garners much lower enthusiasm, winning the full backing of only 66 percent of women and 56 percent of men.
The open-ended responses collected by the institute reveal a stark spectrum of opinion, ranging from explicitly feminist viewpoints to firmly antifeminist stances. Institute researchers noted that widespread support for non-discrimination does not automatically translate into a unified vision of absolute equality.
Francophone Belgians are more likely to describe themselves as feminists than their Dutch-speaking counterparts, according to the survey data.
One in three Francophone women embraces the feminist label, compared to just one in five Dutch-speaking women. Among men, one in five Francophones claims the title, versus one in ten in Flanders.
Despite differing definitions of the label, a broad consensus exists regarding male involvement. Roughly eight out of ten Belgians agree that men can be feminists, with only one in ten dissenting.
“Belgium is in Europa vaak een voortrekker geweest op het vlak van gendergelijkheid,” said Liesbet Stevens, interim director of the Institute for the Equality of Women and Men.
“Uit de resultaten blijkt dat die idealen ook bij de bevolking leven. Dat vormt een belangrijke basis voor maatregelen die de gelijkheid tussen vrouwen en mannen verder versterken,” Stevens added.
The institute previously gathered data on sexism and equality through the original ‘#YouToo?’ survey in 2020, following up with the ‘#YouToo? 2.0’ initiative in 2025. A total of 3,540 respondents completed the latest questionnaire either partially or in full.
