Once Met With Skepticism, Her Research on Male Victimhood Is Now Impossible to Ignore

PUBLISHED: April 15, 2026
UPDATED: April 20, 2026

A few months later, Donald Trump was elected president for his first term. As the political winds shifted, her mentor—professor Madeline E. Heilman, New York University—came into her office and said, "Good instinct! Forget all other projects and focus on that male victimhood idea. Make it your career!"

She did. Now a postdoctoral fellow at Stockholm University, Miriam Zehnter has followed her research path, coining it a "belief in sexism shift"—the belief that women's progress has gone "too far." Today, men are increasingly perceived as "the new, true victims of gender discrimination." What was once regarded as a "crazy" idea only a decade ago has since become mainstream.

"The belief that women's progress has shifted into discrimination against men is incredibly widespread and influential," Zehnter said, adding that recent data shows "about 40 percent of men and 20 percent of women hold such beliefs" in Sweden.

"This 'belief in a sexism shift' is exploited by right-wing populists and can explain why men (but also women) increasingly turn to strongman leaders; it increases men's support for misogynistic men's rights groups online and offline," she said, stressing that it is used to justify the rollback of diversity, inclusion and women's rights programs.

Despite Similar Descriptions, New Obituary Study Shows Persistent Gender Differences

In a recent study, Zehnter took part in an obituary study that spanned from 1953 to 2019, examining leaders' obituaries across sectors. It revealed that female leaders are increasingly described like male leaders, yet still evaluated differently. Though obituaries describe the deceased leaders in the best possible light, Zehnter was surprised to discover persistent gender differences.

"Even in 2019, men's obituaries were longer and included more words signifying successful leadership, likability and respectability than women's," Zehnter explained.

She noted that "the last finding was particularly mind-blowing. Obituaries are literally written to pay respect—yet, our most stable and robust finding was that, across all seven decades, women's obituaries included fewer respect words than men's obituaries."

The study also revealed another layer of inequality: leaders in female-dominated sectors were far less likely to receive newspaper obituaries at all.

Female Leaders Were Described More Like Male Leaders Over Time, Yet Still Evaluated Differently

Although female leaders were increasingly described like their male counterparts, they may not necessarily be perceived as more likable as "being more like 'a man' means that women violate the ideals associated with womanhood," Zehnter said.

According to Zehnter, there are two misconceptions about gender and leadership. First, "over time, 'feminine' leadership styles appear to have become more likable, but this trend doesn't seem to be a unique advantage for female leaders; it benefits male leaders as well."

She also challenged the notion that progress is always linear. Female leaders described in "masculine" terms—assertive, independent, pioneering—were penalized in likability in the 1950s. That pattern faded, then returned after the turn of the millennium. "Today, female leaders may be seen more like male leaders," she said, "but they are not liked for it," adding that "this may be part of a wider anti-women backlash."

Bio

Miriam Zehnter Frisk is a postdoctoral fellow in social and political psychology at the Stockholm Center on Global Governance - based at the Department of Psychology at Stockholm University. Her research addresses the impact of sexism and men's aggrievances upon political decision-making and support for global governance.

In her current research project at the SCGG, Zehnter and Professor Marie Gustafsson Sendén are studying whether the "belief in a sexism shift" also reduces support for international cooperation and international organizations, especially those invested in gender equality.

Further reading

Gender Differences Revealed in Leader Obituaries

Listen

In October 2022, Miriam Zehnter participated in the Swedish podcast Fannys förebilder.

What Does Research Tell Us About Sexism?

How Can We Combat Sexism

The podcast is available on a variety of podcast platforms, such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts and more.