Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The modern gender gap – where women are more left-leaning than men – has been attributed to modernisation, including increase in education and workforce participation. Yet this account fails to explain why, in several advanced democracies, younger generations of men are shifting rightward. Drawing on rational choice and cultural backlash theories, this paper examines whether this pattern holds in Australia, and why. Using age–period–cohort analysis on Australian Election Study data (1987–2022), it investigates the gender-generation interaction across two outcomes: left–right ideological placement and right-wing vote choice. Findings reveal a broader generational shift to the left, with a gap widening due to women moving at a faster pace. Rather than evidence of a cultural backlash, the results point to the role of economic insecurity in shaping young men’s political orientations. The study underscores the importance of addressing material concerns to prevent the rise of reactionary gender politics in future generations.
Author: Intifar Sadiq Chowdhury
Institution: Flinders University
Language: English
Subfield: Gender Studies
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7128790792