In a generation craving certainty it is no surprise that radical politics have increased foothold.
In a generation craving certainty it is no surprise that radical politics have increased foothold. Coined ‘Generation Covid,’ the generation who were under 18 during the pandemic grew up with uncertainty, turbulence, and often isolation. As such, the clarity and community provided by radical and populist parties such as Reform and the Greens does offer the certainty needed for a generation who grew in the privation of this. Despite the somewhat united move to radical parties, there is a significant divide based on gender with women leaning towards the Greens and men leaning towards Reform.
Naturally, the next question is why such a polarisation between women and men is increasing. The answer to this appears to be the socialisation we experience on social media. Understood as a place for interaction and connection, social media seems to have done anything other than its primary goal. The gendered echo chambers are crucial in why there is heightened polarisation between women and men aged 16-20.
This age group grew up with social media as their playground and in doing so were separated by algorithms. The digital sphere has come to dominate ordinary life, as such the internet has become deified and the separate information we receive becomes truth. With such rigid thinking becoming commonplace it seems only logical that in Covid, when screen time was essential, that this would become more prevalent in daily life.
With Covid no longer an imminent threat the ability to connect has improved, yet the crisis persists. This suggests the dominance of social media dialogue in our personal lives. If on a simple level the two algorithms cannot be reconciled, then the gender divide in politics is not a phase but will become a part of life. Clouding politics explicitly there is the real risk that fear of alienating one group will overshadow political action and that this era of polarisation will lead to stagnation.
In an era of ‘post-politics’ voter turnout has fallen to 59.7%. This disengagement with mainstream politics suggests that stagnation is already setting in. This provides the perfect environment for radical parties to move from minor groups to the reconstructed mainstream. The concern here is that it is not a unified move to the radical but instead it is an incredibly polarised shift.
Whilst there is clearly a growing divide between men and women, the severity of this in Britain now is far less concerning than the tension reported in places such as South Korea. Yet, one must ask if Britain is on the path to the situation of South Korea or whether Britain can maintain and stabilise past this point.
Triggered by rising resentment towards systemic inequality and gender-based violence the 4B movement speaks to the tangible divide between men and women. As part of this movement a ‘birth strike’ is taking place with record low birthrates being observed. This in particular is being used as a radical tool to resist patriarchal tradition and gender roles. Creating concern economically and in terms of healthcare, as an aging population means that there will be a shrinking work and tax force. If the rupture in British politics escalates to the levels seen in South Korea, then the already suffering health and economic systems may not survive.
This current divide is not sustainable. For politics it highlights increased disillusionment, for community it only proves to fracture society more, and for the individual it only embeds loneliness. Whilst on the surface political parties provide community, when pushed to compete so viciously this community becomes more about the ‘them’ and less about the ‘us.’ This cycle of othering only serves to undermine the unity many look to political parties to fill.