Extremism and the Gender Gap: Explaining Women’s Increasing Internationalism

• In Event: New Frontiers in Gender and Political Economy

Abstract

Why is the gender gap in support for international economic integration in Western Europe closing? Traditionally, women have been less supportive of processes of globalization—including free trade and European integration—than men. However, over the last two decades, this gender gap has been shrinking in several countries. In this paper, I argue that one of the reasons for this shrinking gender gap is the fact that opposition to globalization, European integration, and immigration is increasingly associated with right-wing extremism in these countries, as populist radical right parties and politicians have made anti-internationalism a key element of their platforms. Since women are on average less comfortable with extremism and more sensitive to the social stigma associated with the radical right, they increasingly move away from the policies these politicians and parties are known for. This in turn leads women to become more internationalist at a faster rate than men, producing the shrinking gender gap in support for international economic integration. Using survey data drawn from the European Social Survey (ESS) and Eurobarometer surveys, as well as an unexpected event during survey design, I show that women’s attitudes toward international economic integration are affected more strongly than men’s when anti-internationalism becomes associated with right-wing extremism. This research has important implications for our understanding of the role of gender in public opinion and of the current backlash against globalization.

Author

• Nina Obermeier, King's College London