Economic Insecurity or Political Fragility? Group-based Threat and Declining Support for Gender Equality in South Korea

While global support for gender equality has generally risen, it remains limited in South Korea. This study investigates how distinct forms of group threat—economic and political— influence public attitudes toward gender equality, with a focus on the role of elite rhetoric. Using an original survey experiment conducted in 2022, we find that perceived group threat significantly reduces support for women’s rights, particularly among younger respondents and men. Young men are especially responsive to both political and economic threat frames. However, we find minimal differences between the two types of threat. These findings suggest that resistance to gender equality is closely tied to broader feelings of insecurity, highlighting the need to address group-based anxieties to advance gender-equal policies in South Korea.