While the radical right gender gap – men are more likely to vote for far-right parties than women – has been a well-documented phenomenon, gender perspectives have seldom been included in theories that try to explain the rise of far-right politics in western-style democracies. A growing corpus of literature points to the relevance of anti-feminist and masculist ideologies as narrative bridges between public and far-right discourses. Masculism appeals to gendered grievances of men, particularly perceived cultural crises they face regarding male role norms, identities, and the acceptance of so-called “real men” in society. While far-right parties – e.g. the AfD – openly appeal to these masculist identity politics, progressive parties – e.g. the Greens – usually take pro-feminist stances focused on gender injustices primarily experienced by women and gender minorities. These circumstances outline the emergence of a gendered political cleavage with the potential to impact democratic discourse and gender relations well beyond differing voting behavior.

The presentation will build on findings achieved with a new measurement tool for masculine feelings of threat that links masculist narratives of the supposed precarious status of “real” men and masculinities with the measurement of negative group-related emotions. It will focus on the impact of masculine feelings of group threat on voting behavior both on the right and the left, and how these influence gender differences. The models will also account for established predictors like perceived general marginalization and economic grievances. The analyses are based on a representative survey of the adult population in Germany above the age of 18 (MiD 2023), which was collected as part of the MOTRA research network.