Yesterday, we were informed that our application was granted funding for three years, for a project focusing on the role of manfluencers in violence against women. The project is funded by Vetenskapsrådet. Below is a short abstract of the proposal.
Manfluencers and young men’s violence against women
Despite broader social progress, violence toward women and girls in heterosexual relationships is increasing. Concurrently, misogynistic attitudes are surging, particularly among young men in the Western world. Research indicates that these attitudes, especially the dehumanization of women, are linked to violence. This connection suggests that the rise in misogyny may help explain why some young men perpetrate violence against women.
While Sweden is often regarded as highly egalitarian, recent research suggests an ongoing backlash against gender equality. Notably, Sweden has the highest per capita number of active users on misogynistic online forums. Social media plays a crucial role in shaping young men's political attitudes, with manfluencers like Andrew Tate promoting narratives that depict women as subordinate. This project seeks to answer: How do manfluencers affect the dehumanization of women and the likelihood of violence toward women among young men?
The concerning trends of rising misogyny and violence against women among young men highlight the urgent need for new knowledge in this area. Our interdisciplinary research team, with expertise in psychology and political science, is well-equipped to address the research question. Using a research design that combines interviews with perpetrators, large-scale surveys, and social psychological experiments, the project will provide both in-depth insights and generalizable findings that can inform intervention strategies.