Increasing gender equality and economic competition between men and women represent some of the largest changes to society. These profound cultural changes are argued to be an aspect of the cultural backlash arguments for populism, alongside concerns about immigration and the economy.
We argue that men who perceive discrimination against men are more likely to support populist causes, even those where gender hasn’t been explicitly primed – such as in the case of ‘Brexit’. Our paper explores the predictors of male discrimination perceptions, assesses the economic grievance explanations for discrimination perceptions (finding that out of work younger males especially hold these perceptions in greater magnitude), and finds that these perceptions are associated with higher support for Britain’s decision to exit the European Union. Indeed, the effects of perceived male discrimination, among men, are as strong as other predictors based on discrimination about whites and ethnic minorities. CONTINUED
Jane Green (Oxford) & Rosalind Shorrocks (Manchester), Political Behavior
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