Changing public opinion about gender activates group threat and opposition to feminist social movements among men

Abstract

Two studies examined whether men’s perception of the declining value of traditional masculinity activates social status, realistic, and symbolic threat, and in turn motivates opposition to feminist social movements. In Study 1, men’s perception that their ingroup is losing value across several social spheres was associated with social status and realistic threat, both of which were associated with opposition to feminist movements. Study 2, an experiment, presented men with public opinion data showing a 30-year decline in the degree to which Americans value traditional masculinity or no decline. Information about the declining value of masculinity activated status threat, which motivated less support for feminist movements. Among men who highly identified as masculine, this same information reduced support for feminist movements through symbolic threat. In sum, perceived decline in the social value of traditional masculinity creates status anxiety about the ingroup’s future and motivates compensatory reactions against gender equality.

Supporting men or male privilege? Women's progressive and reactionary collective action for men

“…These findings suggest that women might be motivated to support reactionary action for men if they align with the content of their ingroup identity and preserve their traditional worldview. Indeed, recent studies confirm the role of the perceived threat to traditional values, social hierarchy, and symbolic status (among male respondents) as predictors of collective action supporting the status quo and opposition to feminist social movements (e.g., Choma et al, 2020;Rivera-Rodriguez et al, 2021).…”

Acknowledging that Men are Moral and Harmed by Gender Stereotypes Increases Men’s Willingness to Engage in Collective Action on Behalf of Women

“…In the face of these threats, some men may exhibit defensive reactions as members of advantaged groups tend to do. For instance, the perception of the declining value of traditional masculinity seems to activate different kinds of intergroup threat (i.e., status, realistic, symbolic) among men, which in turn increases their opposition to feminism (Rivera-Rodriguez et al, 2021).…”

Privilege lost: How dominant groups react to shifts in cultural primacy and power

“…In an interesting twist, Rivera-Rodriguez, Larsen and Dasgupta (2022) examined how men react when perceiving that masculinity is decreasing in social value, with the implication being that if masculinity devalued, then men in turn will be devalued. Whereas much of the emphasis on gender relations in the literature focuses on traditional versus untraditional women (and their associated promotion vs. resistance), this research points a lens at the perceived role of traditional or nontraditional men in society.…”

“…The Special Issue also highlights potential mediators of demographic or power shift effects, providing insights into the mechanisms (or the "why" questions). Understandably, most researchers pursued the notion of threat in its many forms, including status threat, realistic (i.e., tangible) threat (including perceived discrimination against the dominant group), symbolic threat (i.e., nontangible), or moral threat (e.g., Brown, Rucker and Richeson 2022;Domen, Scheepers, Derks and van Veelen 2022;Dover, 2022;Jones et al, 2022;Okuyan & Vollhardt, 2022;Reyna et al, 2022;Rivera-Rodriguez, Larsen and Dasgupta 2022). Most of these endeavors generally found that threats play a significant role in predicting a range of outcomes relevant to solidifying the status quo.…”