Politics is traditionally a man's world. Despite much progress in recent years, most politicians are still men. What knowledge we have about gender and inequality in politics is mainly based on counting women and men. In contrast, we do not well understand the underlying gendered norms about behavior that is considered inappropriate and appropriate: political masculinities. This project’s research reveals how political masculinities change or persist among voters, elected politicians, leaders, and aspirants. The research results will bring much-needed nuance and depth to a currently polarized but ultimately simplistic debate about gendered inequality in politics. As PhD-student you will study the following research question:

• How are masculinities socialized in political parties?

This study teases out how youth wings view present-day masculinities in society, and it examines their evaluation and their expectations of masculinities by the party leadership and the party. How do youth wings try to challenge or reproduce these masculinities within the youth wing and the party?

The primary method of data collection are focus groups. They will be complemented by participant observation and organizational ethnography. Focus groups are well-suited for studying aspirants as they offer less threatening and less hierarchical settings than individual interviews or survey research. This is particularly useful when studying sensitive issues. Based on open-ended focus group protocols, participants will, in conversation with each other, reflect on the research questions, where and why they agree, and where and why they do not. The project will aim for 40 focus group interviews with six to eight members of youth wings (men and women) that are part of political parties across the political spectrum, including progressive, conservative and populist right wing parties and newer identity-based parties. The focus group interviews, which will last approximately two hours, will be held in places that are safe and easy to reach for participants, be it online or offline.

Participant observation is complementary to focus groups and will facilitate access and trust. The PhD-candidate will be ‘hanging around’ in areas where the youth wings or their members meet (congresses, debates, activities, online forums) until the data collection phase is completed. The PhD candidate will conduct organizational ethnography to understand how masculinities are institutionalized within youth wings. The protocol for the organizational ethnography will build on insights from the (ongoing) participant observation and focus groups. Expected data that the PhD-candidate will analyze are written documents, such as statutes and protocols, and norms and values of gender equality (e.g. how young men speak about and threat women and gay members).