Masculinity, Occupational Change, and Support for the Radical Right in Europe

Despite extensive research on the socio-structural origins of radical right support in Europe, existing studies often overlook the role of gender as an analytical category. While some attribute radical right voting to occupational precariousness and ‘economic anxiety’, others highlight the movement’s strong appeal to men and its embeddedness in masculinized political narratives. This paper brings these perspectives into conversation by examining how occupational positions relate to gender identities and attitudinal preferences, and how both factors interrelate with radical right support. Drawing on European Social Survey data from twenty-four countries, I display that men in specific occupational positions are more likely to adhere to 'traditional' forms of masculinity, and analyse how self-placement measures of masculinity interact with occupational categories to influence voting behaviour. The findings show that masculinity systematically conditions the relationship between occupation and radical right support among men, and this affect varies across occupational contexts. This paper challenges the tendency to treat socio-economic and gendered explanations of radical right support as distinct, instead demonstrating their deep interconnection, offering a more intersectional account of the social bases of radical right support.