Age, not generation: Gender intensification during adolescence and the youth gender gap in conservatism

Young men tend to be more conservative than young women. It is often suggested that this ‘youth gender gap’ is a generational phenomenon that can be attributed to recent developments such as the rise of the online manosphere and the far right. This study, however, proposes an alternative interpretation drawing from the developmental psychological ‘gender intensification theory,’ which holds that gender roles temporarily intensify during adolescence as biological, social, and cognitive changes heighten pressure from socialization agents to fit gender-role stereotypes. Supporting this explanation, 22 years of ESS data demonstrate that the interaction between gender and age peaks in middle adolescence, narrows during late adolescence, and mostly disappears in early adulthood. Moreover, this youth gender gap has not widened over time since 2002. These findings challenge claims of a generational rise of conservative men. Instead, the youth gender gap appears to be rooted in the typical psychosocial development of adolescents.