Pacific Men: how the feminist gap explains hostility
- Summary created: 2021
This research demonstrates that attitudes to gender equality, not biological sex, explain attitudes towards other nationalities and religious groups.
This summary, including its recommendations and ideas, was created by Professor Erik Melander and is based on original research. The original research itself was conducted in collaboration with the following researcher.
The gender gap in attitudes to foreign policy is well established in public opinion literature. Studies have repeatedly reported that women tend to be more peaceful and less militaristic than men. This article reexamines attitudes of individuals in relation to foreign policy and pits the gender gap against the largely forgotten feminist gap.
Insights
Using individual-level survey data from five countries around the Pacific: China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, and the United States of America, we show that both men and women who reject gender equality are much more hostile both to other nations and to minorities in their own country.
What it means
We argue that the individual-level relationship between gender equality attitudes on the one hand, and tolerance and benevolence on the other, is under-researched, but also that key contributions about the effects of feminism have been mostly ignored in research on the gender gap in public opinion. It is important to focus in research and in practical actions on the role of masculinity.
We return to the notion of a causal relationship between gender equality attitudes, and peaceful attitudes, and of a feminist gap that also exists among men. In a series of novel empirical tests, we demonstrate that attitudes to gender equality, not biological sex, explain attitudes towards other nationalities and religious groups.
This research can be used as foundation to create positive role models (positive way of being a men in favour of gender equality)in particular in the Youth and in organisations characterised by a high level of toxic/militarised masculinity (i.e. Army)
Suggested next steps
Create positive role models (positive way of being a men in favour of gender equality)
Take into account the different ways in which masculinity is produced and reproduced - recruiters in organisations (i
For organisations supporting youth - they should analyse and promote positive role models within youth groups to create a gender equal culture from the beginning
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