Feminism as a threat

Far-right voting is often explained as a counter-reaction to cultural change, including to feminism, which may be perceived as a threat. However, individuals’ perceptions of feminism as a threat have seldom been measured. Using novel survey data on the case of Spain, we explore perceptions of feminism as a threat and analyze its correlates. We conceptualize threat perceptions to involve a component of potential damage as well as a component of vulnerability. We measure threat perceptions related to material as well as symbolic aspects, both for the individual and the broader collective. Adapting integrated threat theory we then analyze a number of factors that may trigger or facilitate perceptions of feminism as a threat, including gender (men being more likely to feel threatened), age (older people more likely to feel threatened), individual resources (people unemployed, in precarious works or unemployed more likely to feel threatened), and values (preference for order vs freedom, authoritarian values, right-wing orientations). Surprisingly our findings show modest but significant gender and age gaps in the opposite direction of our expectations. The role of values is confirmed as expected, but there is limited evidence in support of the role of individual resources. Our paper points to the difficulties of applying the predominant understanding of threats in social science to the case of feminism.