Who supports (opposes) gender equality policy, and can different policy framings make a difference?

Who supports gender equality policy, and how does this support depend on the framing of the policy? Different gender equality policies are currently politicized in various democracies. We fielded two survey experiments across 27 EU countries to test who is most (least) likely to support two gender equality policies: Gender quotas in politics, and school reforms for less gender-stereotypical teaching. Based on theoretical expectations about support for gender equality and policies in general, we manipulate whether the policies are described as: a) promoting material vs. symbolic gender equality, b) benefiting only women vs. everyone, c) supported by experts vs. a majority of the population, and d) endorsed by left- vs. right-wing political parties. Pilot study results reveal partly gendered trade-offs in policy support: Some policy framings appeal to women but deter men, and vice versa. Further, the proposed school reform provokes more strongly polarizing effects than the proposed gender quotas in politics. The policy support patterns by population group differ by the proposed gender equality policy, suggesting that different gender equality policies yield different patterns of support and opposition in the population. Our findings carry implications for the study of gender attitudes and policy support.