A threatened masculinity? The role of status threats and anger in misogynistic engagement
Emma A. Renström & Hanna Bäck
Abstract
Why are some men attracted to misogynistic groups? Drawing on literature on intergroup threat, we hypothesize that men who perceive that their status is threatened are more likely to engage with misogynistic groups. We also hypothesize that anger reactions to such threats is an important mechanism explaining why perceived masculine status threats lead to such engagement. In a survey ( N = 2,751) we find that perceived masculine status threat, measured as belief in a sexism shift, is related to higher engagement with the manosphere among Swedish men. In three survey experiments ( N s = 608, 661, 593) we manipulated masculine status threats, using fictive social media content, and measuring anger as an emotional reaction to the threat. We find an indirect effect of threat via anger in all three studies on intentions to engage with the manosphere (Study 2), with men’s rights groups (Study 3), and generally with groups working to improve men’s status (Study 4). The results provide a better understanding of why men may react to potential threats to their status with higher engagement with misogynistic groups, for example on the manosphere.
Evidence weight
Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40
| F · citation impact | 0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20 |
| M · momentum | 0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07 |
| V · venue signal | 0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03 |
| R · text relevance † | 0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20 |
† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.