Trapped in Transition: Generational Perspectives on Gender Role Strain in Contemporary India

This study examines gender role strain in the Indian context by exploring how individuals across age and gender experience tension between personal identity and societal expectations. Using a convergent parallel mixed-methods design, data were collected from 213 participants in North India, stratified into Gen Z and Gen X cohorts across binary gender lines. Grounded in Pleck’s (1981, The myth of masculinity, 1995) Gender Role Strain Paradigm, this study operationalizes strain through an eight-item questionnaire capturing self-role discrepancy and perceived socialized dysfunction across four domains (behaviour, appearance, personality and interests) complemented by semi-structured interviews. Quantitative analysis revealed that Gen Z females experienced the highest internal conflict across domains, while Gen X males reported the least. Appearance was the only domain in which socialized dysfunction showed significant group differences. Qualitative insights highlighted patterns of voiced resistance, silent compliance, performed masculinity and emotional disconnection across cohorts. The findings reveal how evolving gender norms, especially among Gen Z groups, intensify identity strain, while Gen X individuals often normalize or internalize it. This research contributes insights into gendered stressors in transitional societies and underlines the need for deeper consideration of how age and gender intersect in shaping lived realities.