Many studies of social phenomenon have shown that the forces that support something are not by definition mirrored in the forces that oppose. In this line, this study will address the question of gender+ equality and the popular attitudes towards this issue. Focusing on characteristics typically used to explain support for gender equality (e.g. education and religiosity), it is questioned whether these also explain who strongly opposes equality. The paper uses European Social Survey data, which make both cross-sectional and longitudinal comparisons possible. The pooled sample includes information on 21 European countries for 2004-2006; 2008-2010 and 2010-2011. Description, comparison and regression analyses are used to assess the impact of the common explanations of support of gender+ equality as well as the strong opposition to gender+ equality.
