Anti-Feminist Sentiments Rising Among Gen Z and Young Men

wide variety of misogyny and gender-based bigotry have spiked in recent years.

A new study released by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and the Polarization & Extremism Research & Innovation Lab (PERIL) gives people resources to recognize and prevent violence related to gender-based hate. The guide is the third in a growing suite of resources co-created by both groups. It also comes as SPLC and PERIL say anti-feminist sentiments have risen significantly among Gen Z and young men.

According to SPLC and PERIL’s research, a wide variety of misogyny and gender-based bigotry have spiked in recent years. This includes a documented rise in forms of male supreme violence that’s now recognized on the spectrum of domestic violent extremism, including threats, plots, and attacks from misogynist incels. SPLC and PERIL note this is unsurprising as discriminatory bills have also increased nationwide. Many of these laws are rooted in anti-LGBTQ+ ideas and beliefs, which also overlap with other discriminatory rhetoric and beliefs.

“At the intersection of anti-Black racism, anti-LGBTQ+ hate and misogyny, Black women, girls, and transgendered women experience an outsized amount of harm and violence,” the study says.

Where Is The Surge In Hate Happening?

Gender-based hate is fostered online, according to SPLC and PERIL. This includes video game chats, comment trolls on social media sites, memes, and short-form videos. People have also created Reddit pages to manipulate and denigrate women. SPLC and PERIL refer to these online spaces and communities as the “manosphere.” Researchers describe the manosphere as a collection of blogs, forums, and websites whose members mobilize around misogyny and toxic masculinity.

The manosphere links together a variety of male supremacist groups that both SPLC and PERIL say create an entitlement to women’s bodies, time and attention, grievances, and blame with women who fail or resist to meet their expectations. It also leads to anti-feminism rhetoric, to name a few.

“Their level of popularity is hard to overstate,” the report reads. “The misogynist influencer Andrew Tate, for example, was one of Google’s most-searched people in 2022.”

Romanian law enforcement arrested Tate in 2022. Officials indicted him in 2023 on charges of rape, human trafficking, and establishing a criminal gang to exploit women sexually, the study revealed.

Online & Offline Pathways To Radicalization

According to the research, there are pathways to radicalization both online and offline. Some thing to look out for, especially in young people, are gaming chats, following or searching what researchers call “self-help influencers” on Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok, and young girls and women researching trad wife influencers, for example.

Signs that parents and teachers can look out for include expressing sympathy for extreme and hateful views, changes in speech patterns, language, or narratives, desire to restore perceived loss of status, and self-isolation or sentiments expressing a lack of belonging.

As the study suggests, parents and caregivers should start talking to young children early. Researchers say young people can be set in their beliefs by age 10. Parents can also discuss and model internet safety and discuss peer-to-peer support.

For the entire report and list of resources, visit splcenter.org/peril and perilresearch.com