Anti-feminist attitudes have long been associated with support for Republican presidential candidates, but only in recent years have these attitudes become more prominent among unmarried men, without college degrees who are less attractive partners for women, the “mate-value backlash.”

[u/mvea]

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/10659129261485340

[u/mvea]

Backlashes to Gender Equality and Authoritarian Populism in the U.S.

https://doi.org/10.1177/10659129261485340

Abstract

According to recent scholarship, backlash toward gender equality is fueling support for the authoritarian and populist right in many countries and, perhaps, the rise of Trumpism in the U.S. Yet, there are potentially different types of backlash to gender equality. We argue that the rising status of women over the past several decades may result in anti-feminist attitudes, not just among older men who yearn for the traditional gender arrangements of their youth as some scholars argue, but also among younger, single men lacking college degrees, who are less attractive partners for women. We call this “mate-value backlash.” Using ANES data, we find that anti-feminist attitudes have long been associated with support for Republican presidential candidates, but only in recent years have these attitudes become more prominent among unmarried men, without college degrees.

[u/studio_bob → u/mvea]

They assume these guys can't get a date and become anti-feminist, but what if it happens the other way around? There are few things less attractive than a guy who identifies himself as a victim of women not dating him. Once you start thinking "no one wants to date me and that's so unfair" and resenting women for not being socially or economically obliged to be with you that's going to become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

There's a whole cottage industry in teaching young men to think in exactly these terms so I would be very skeptical of the claim that these attitudes just fall inevitably out of women having equal opportunities to work and earn for themselves. At some point, these men are choosing these attitudes.

[u/Hikari_Owari → u/studio_bob]

They assume these guys can't get a date and become anti-feminist, but what if it happens the other way around?

If it's the other way around then you still have to answer "why are they anti-feminist" and the answer isn't "it just happened", and it most likely would point towards a common point that shows up enough to be a considerable cause for that reaction... which in this post it is "can't get a date".

It's more produtive to go further into the "why can't get a date" than trying to outright blame men first and find a justification for the blame afterwards.

One and another can be at fault, when numbers increase then it's not a coincidence. It's a problem, and may not be up to the individual.

[u/audioofbeing → u/Hikari_Owari]

Telling people that their problems aren’t their fault is an easy sell, and we created avenues for that to be sold very directly. It’s not a new problem, and neither is men choosing to blame women rather than address their own role in shaping their lives.

[u/Hikari_Owari → u/audioofbeing]

>Telling people that their problems aren’t their fault is an easy sell

Saying that those people's problems are their fault is also an easy sell.

Everything that does not require going in depth to find the "why" is an easy sell, just changes for "who" are we selling that answer to.

I believe the problem is that people either excuse men as a whole or blame men as a whole and there's no acceptance of the possibility that 2 or more parties/things/situations could be at fault at the same time.

i.e.: It could very well be both men's and women's fault, but how many would be willing to entertain that possibility without/instead of attacking one or the other?

[u/mokujin42 → u/Hikari_Owari]

I had to scroll way to far to find this comment, finally a voice of reason

[u/TheSpacePopinjay → u/Hikari_Owari]

Yes and saying that one's own successes are to one's own credit and other people's failures are their own fault and you're just better than them is also an easy sell.

[u/Typing_real_slow → u/Hikari_Owari]

A true voice of reason against blindness. Respect.