In this paper, I theorize political party youth wings as key sites of spillover, or sites where anti-democratic forms of masculinity that appear in extremist milieus merge with, or are infused into party politics. While existing scholarship has documented the rise of anti-democratic masculinities in digital and radical-right movements, little is known about how these gendered norms are reproduced and legitimized within institutional settings such as political party youth wings.
Using a systematic review design, I identify and screen peer-reviewed studies on masculinities, the manosphere, anti-democratic practices, the radical right, political socialization, youth political participation, and youth political participation across major publication databases. I then undertake a thematic analysis of the literature to map the conceptual silences and recurring mechanisms that underpin the spread and socialization of anti-democratic masculinities. The thematic insights are used to build a conceptual model of spillover: illustrating how gendered practices cultivated in extremist or youth activist spheres can become embedded in political party life. Through this analysis, I reposition youth wings as critical conduits in the normalization of anti-democratic political cultures and practices.
