Across the world, people in urban rather than rural areas are more likely to support
gender equality. To explain this global trend, this paper engages with geographically diverse
literature and comparative rural–urban ethnographic research from Zambia. It argues that people
living in interconnected, heterogeneous, densely populated areas are more likely to see women
performing socially valued, masculine roles. Such exposure incrementally erodes gender ideologies,
catalysing a positive feedback loop, and increasing flexibility in gender divisions of labour. Women
in densely populated areas also tend to have greater access to health clinics and police, so are more
able to control their fertility and secure external support against gender-based violence. However,
the urban is not inevitably disruptive. Experiences of the urban are shaped by international and
national policies, macro-economic conditions, and individual circumstances. Through this
comparative ethnography, this paper contributes to literature on the drivers of change and
continuity in gender ideologies.