I am Not a Sexist, But: How Perceived Reverse Discrimination Drives Modern Workplace Backlash in SouthKorea

• In Event: Student Forum Open Topic Paper Session

Abstract

Although support for gender equality has increased in many post-industrial societies, resistance to workplace equality policies remains strong. Yet the mechanisms through which this principle–policy gap is sustained remain understudied. This study examines how reverse discrimination perceptions, the belief that men are unfairly disadvantaged by gender equality efforts, undermine support for institutional change in South Korea. I argue that these perceptions weaken the link between egalitarian gender attitudes and support for workplace equality policies, particularly among young men. Using nationally representative survey data from the 2016 and 2021 South Korea Gender Equality Survey (N = 7,399; N = 8,028), this study tests whether reverse discrimination perceptions moderate the association between egalitarian gender beliefs and policy support, whether this moderation differs by gender and age, and whether these patterns intensified amid rising anti-feminist backlash in the late 2010s. Results show that egalitarian beliefs are positively associated with policy support; however, this relationship weakens as reverse discrimination perceptions increase. The moderating effect is especially strong among young men. While the overall moderating effect is present in both years, its young men specific effect emerges in 2021, suggesting a growing stratification of backlash rather than universal intensification. These findings indicate that reverse discrimination perceptions function as a subtle mechanism of modern backlash, limiting progress toward workplace gender equality even in contexts of rising egalitarian attitudes.

Author

• Joy Han, Florida State University