In most countries in the Global West, young people are generally considered to be more progressive and older, more conservative. In recent years, a new axis of articulation of political opinions has been added to age: gender is also taken into account. Today, young women in the West are significantly more progressive than men of the same age. Several studies show that in terms of political opinions, the group of non-binary people has characteristics femeninas.Algunas social trends, spread in EE.UU., spread later in Europe, but in this case it seems that the evolution is parallel – with few regional particularities. In March of this year, the journal The Economist has analyzed data from political surveys of
20 countries, coming from binarism and without specifying data on non-binary, coming from North America, Europe and South Korea, including Asia and the West. According to this analysis, in 2000 there were no gender differences in political opinions. By contrast, in 2020 the gap is clear: 51% of men aged 18 to 29 are considered progressive but 63.5% of women of the same age. In these twenty countries, young women are more progressive than young men.

In the case of Europe, the largest gap is observed in Poland, and is markedly higher than Europe in the US. In addition, it has increased especially in the last decade: In 2008 there were no gender differences, while in the 2022 House of Representatives elections 46% of young men and 28% of young women voted in favour of the republicanos.En Flanders (northern Belgium), the parties most voted by young
men in the last elections were the far-right Vlaams Belang and the right-wing N-VA. Young women will include the green party Groen and Vooruit on the left. In the last elections in Poland, the party most voted by men between the ages of 18 and 29 has been the far-right Confederacy. One of the slogans of this party, which brings together 26% of the votes of young men, is "against feminists, in defense of real women." With this content, it is no wonder that only 6% of the votes of women of the same age have been achieved and that the majority of young women have voted in favour of relegating abortion to the centre-left parties.

Young men, more anti-feminists than older men

According to a survey conducted by the IPSOS in Poland five years ago, women between 18 and 39 years of age see climate change as the greatest risk for Poland. Men of the same age group, on the contrary, consider the LGBT movement and "gender ideology" to be the main risks. In addition to the Polish Confederacy, far-right parties have appeared in several countries with very masculinistic speeches such as Reconquete in France, SALF in Spain or Chega in Portugal, between otros.Segun the daily La croix, an internal motion approved by the Chega party in 2020 recommended to women who had aborted the cutting of the ovaries to do it. Although the motion was withdrawn by several protests, it contributed to opening the window of acceptability.

The study by The Economist magazine shows a remarkable evolution for the 27 European countries: in general, men aged 18-29 years are more anti-feminist than men aged 65 years. They say that the development of women’s rights has gone too far and that makes opportunities for men difficult. The opinion of young women from different countries shows a contrarian evolution. For example, young women in the UK believe that the living conditions of women are worse. In South Korea, the change is most notable: 80% of men between 20 and 30 years old say they are discriminated against as men, but only 30% of men over 60 years old.

Different perceptions of social changes

In the West, after a long absence of higher education, women are now more qualified than men, especially in young generations. Although this does not, for the time being, have proportional effects on employment and wages, women today have a more informed view of social dynamics. In addition, sociologists tend to relate the passage through university with a more progressive and egalitarian perspective. In rich countries, common sexism has regressed in recent decades, and women and men may have a different perception in their daily lives: more freedom for some, more adaptation to the new rules for others, with or without enthusiasm. Social networks multiply the contrasting perception of these long-term evolutions, in which each user reinforces their opinions in their "social bubble", which can be one of the culprits of the growing polarization.

According to a study conducted in the United States by the Survey Center on American Life, generations born in the late 1990s and early 2000s have more difficulty establishing relationships and say they feel lonely that they feel more than the previous generation. 31% of women and only 16% of men declare themselves LGBT. These proportions are higher than those of previous generations, with the gender gap even greater. The fact that there are as many women as today do not want to live with men, and that they can live without marriage, is historically new.

Against this trend, of course, extreme right-wing masculinist parties and the human sphere dare to end feminism and the LGBT movement, in the name of "traditional values," and create more white-skinned children. Anti-feminism is one of the links of the extreme right. The solution to this development is not simple. How do we make younger people understand that male norms also harm young men and boys and that the LGBT movement does not pose a risk to them? How do you understand that climate change and care are real challenges?

These two opposing movements in younger generations, beyond politics, have to do with culture and personal identity, so they're so profound. Therefore, solving this gap will necessarily require profound changes.