I Know it When I See It. A Systematic Literature Review on Antifeminst and Antigender Research 1970-2024

Antifeminism and antigenderism have emerged as significant global sociopolitical and sociocultural phenomena, profoundly shaping contemporary public discourse, political agendas, and social movements. These phenomena have become focal points of scholarly inquiry across diverse disciplines. However, despite the increasing volume of research, the conceptual boundaries between antifeminism and antigenderism remain ambiguous. The two terms are often used interchangeably, obscuring their potentially distinct theoretical characteristics and empirical implications. This study addresses these conceptual and empirical ambiguities by conducting a systematic literature review of social science research that addresses antifeminism and antigenderism, utilizing Scopus as the primary research database. Our review identified 772 journal articles engaging with these phenomena, reflecting the breadth and interdisciplinarity of the field. Through a combination of quantitative text analysis and qualitative content analysis methods, we systematically map the scholarly landscape, examining how antifeminism and antigenderism have been defined, operationalized, and studied over time. The findings reveal several critical trends and gaps in the existing literature. First, antifeminism is typically framed as resistance to feminist ideologies and movements, while antigenderism more explicitly targets the notion of "gender ideology”. However, these distinctions are inconsistently addressed, creating significant theoretical and methodological challenges. Second, research highlights substantial geographical and cultural variation, with antifeminist and antigender movements being particularly prominent in contexts where populist and far-right political actors mobilize these ideologies for political gain. Third, intersectionality remains largely underexplored, despite its potential to illuminate how multiple axes of oppression—such as gender, race, class, and sexuality—intersect and shape the dynamics of antifeminism and antigenderism. By synthesizing these insights, our review identifies key mechanisms driving antifeminist and antigender discourses, including the role of social media, transnational networks, and political factors. It also exposes significant shortcomings, such as the lack of interdisciplinary collaboration, the limited integration of intersectional perspectives, and the underrepresentation of voices from the Global South. Our findings aim to provide a clearer conceptual framework and a more robust empirical foundation for future research, enabling scholars to address unresolved questions and explore new directions in the study of antifeminism and antigenderism.