Young men, gendered labour market competition, and opposition to gender equality policy across 27 EU countries

Recent studies have shown an increasing divide in political values between young men and women, particularly regarding gender equality attitudes. In this study it is argued that this is due in particular to a lack of support by young men towards gendered labour market competition: they are less sympathetic towards competition-exacerbating factors. With newly collected original survey data across 27 EU countries, the study investigates two hypothetical gender equality policies: gender quotas in politics and school reforms for less gender-stereotypical teaching. Results show that young men find the quota policy more threatening, as it creates more immediate gender competition, thus making them less supportive of this policy. Additionally, the study employs vignette survey experiments to test whether policy support changes as a function of policy framing. No consistent framing effects are found, however. The article carries implications for understanding the extent and kind of recent value divides between young men and women.