Political Masculinity and the Young Men in Europe Leaning Toward the Far-Right

Across Europe, young men display substantially higher levels of support for far-right parties than young women-a generational shift that Milosav et al. (2024) document and is visibly evident in the increased male support for parties like AfD and Reform UK. Although this gender gap is well-established, much less is known about the ways in which changes in social and cultural constructions of masculinity shape these political preferences. Building on recent appraisals of the concept of "political masculinities" within gender and politics scholarship, this paper argues that Gen-Z men construct a new political masculinity that is wholly unlike the socio-economic experiences of their elders and forged by economic precarity, educational reversal, and digitally mediated status anxieties. As noted by Hynes of the University of Edinburgh, young men face widening education gaps, perceived status loss, and intense feelings of social displacement—conditions that are increasingly exploited by far-right narratives that frame feminism and social progress as threats to masculinity. Drawing on electoral data, analyses of digital influencer ecosystems, and studies of the manosphere, including research showing algorithmic pathways from mainstream male influencers to extremist content, this paper considers the ways that feelings of alienation become mobilised into political grievance. I contend that these dynamics represent an emergent configuration of political masculinity that is generationally distinctive and at the heart of understanding the far right's youth appeal. Recognising this shift is vital for considering its long-term implications for gender equality and democratic stability in Europe.