Conspiratorial misogyny and the radicalization continuum: male supremacy as a dominant ideology in contemporary extremism

Male supremacist ideology is quickly becoming one of the most prevalent forms of contemporary extremism in the world. In many ways, it is similar to how other extremist movements work, and the radicalization of its supporters follows familiar pathways. In other ways, the rise of male supremacy is both an outcome of increasing radicalization and an underlying risk for gender-based violence (GBV). This work aims to highlight key understandings of male supremacy as it relates to the manosphere and GBV. It also highlights how radicalization and ideology interact, how that radicalization leads to GBV, how male supremacy fills this ideological aspect of radicalization, and how conspiratorial thinking underpins much of male supremacist ideology. From there, we offer some practical risk and protective factors for practitioners, framed in a public health-informed understanding of radicalization prevention.