The Trad Appeal : A quantitative study of young women’s endorsement of contemporary traditional femininity ideals

Sammanfattning

Traditional ideals of femininity have gained increased visibility online, as well as in public and policy debates. The ‘tradwife’ movement and ‘soft girl’ ideals are often interpreted as expressions of a desire among women more broadly to return to traditional gender roles, and concerns have been raised about the consequences this may have for gender equality. However, the empirical basis for these claims is scarce. This thesis addresses this gap by examining (1) the extent to which young women in Sweden endorse these ideals and (2) what broader social and political attitudes are associated with such endorsement. Through an original survey with over 500 respondents, I test three hypotheses derived from the literature, theorized as different manifestations of backlash. The findings show low to moderate levels of endorsement, and that radical-right orientations constitute the strongest predictor of endorsement of traditional femininity ideals, even when accounting for general left-right ideological placement. Meanwhile, apolitical orientations show a small but significant association, while dissatisfaction with contemporary gender regimes exhibits more inconsistent associations. Although non-generalizable, the findings represent a step toward advancing understanding of these ideals and their potential implications for gender equality. The Swedish context constitutes a least-likely case, raising questions about how a potential resurgence of traditional femininity ideals may manifest in other settings.