Going to Extremes: Sex-Role Norms and Political Extremism

• In Event: An Exploration into Gender's Behavioral and Policy Implications

Abstract

Sex roles in America have been changing – the roles of the man as head of the family and breadwinner and the woman as the happy homemaker are fast becoming anachronisms. As a result of these changes, sex-role traditionalists, or ideologues, in society may feel threatened by these developments as the country becomes one in which they no longer belong. President Trump fanned the flames of these fears during his campaigns and presidency by hearkening back to the “good old days” of masculine men and feminine women. This paper argues that sex-role ideologues – those rating highly on masculinity and femininity ideology measures – react to this threat through political extremism and support for extremist groups. Using two original surveys, we first analyze who sex-role ideologues are to provide a profile of these traditionalists. We then proceed to analyze how sex-role ideologies contribute to support for political extremism on both the right and the left. We find that those who support traditional sex roles are more likely to both adopt more extreme views than those who do not rate highly on sex-role ideology as well as support extremist groups like militia groups and white nationals on the right and Antifa on the left.

Authors

• Monika L. McDermott, Fordham University

• David R. Jones, Baruch College, City University of New York