Millennials and Generation Z: Men’s Perspectives on Hashtag Feminism

Abstract

In contemporary politics, feminist activism is largely conducted through social media and hashtag activism and is often called “hashtag feminism.” The feminist hashtags #MeToo, #HeForShe, and #HowIWillChange are well-known symbols of the modern feminist movement. This interpretive phenomenological study explored how Millennial and Generation Z men perceive the hashtag feminist movement. It also aimed to capture how these men experienced and perceived their masculinity as it related to contemporary gender politics. We conducted interviews with 12 social media-using Millennial and Generation Z men about their experiences of masculinity and hashtag feminism. We found that men’s views on hashtag feminism were contradictory and overlapping, changing in response to different contexts. Additionally, findings indicated that participants did not see hashtag feminism as representative of the feminist movement. Results suggested that features of online activist discourse deterred men from engaging in hashtag feminism.