Sweden is experiencing an expanding political divide between male and female voters ahead of the upcoming general election in September, according to recent polling data.
A survey by Statistics Sweden shows that support for the far-right Sweden Democrats among male voters is twice as high as among female voters.
>>> Sotheby's to Auction Massive T. Rex Skeleton 'Gus' Expected to Fetch Up to $30M
Conversely, the center-left Social Democrats, led by Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, enjoy female backing that is 10 percentage points higher than male support.
If only women voted, the left-leaning bloc led by Andersson would secure 64% of the vote.
If only men voted, the right-leaning parties led by Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson of the Moderates would claim a 51% majority.
Roots of the Divide
Lena Wängnerud, a political science professor at the University of Gothenburg, noted that the divergent political movement between genders has been developing since the 1970s.
However, she pointed out that the Sweden Democrats have recently overtaken the center-right Moderates as the primary choice for male voters.
Her research indicates that men working in the private sector lean toward the right wing due to policies favoring lower taxes, a smaller public sector, and reduced immigration.
"The fact that women have not shifted to the right to the same extent, regardless of whether they work in the public or private sector, stems from their greater reliance on a well-functioning welfare state, given that they still bear the primary responsibility for caregiving in the private sphere," Wängnerud said.
