The Exodus: How Young Men Exit the Manosphere

With the emergence of a collection of online misogynist groups called the Mansopshere there has been a recent influx of research regarding the groups' recruitment process and ideology. In both the psychological and sociological research on these groups, however, the experiences of men who have exited these spaces have been unexamined. Using the theory of role exit, I use in-depth interviews to examine the experiences of 12 young men between the ages of 18-33 who have exited online misogynist spaces and communities within the Manosphere. This study asks the question: What are the experiences of men with exiting their role as a member of the Manosphere? Specifically, I examine how men come to doubt their membership, what alternatives they consider to remaining a member, what shapes their decision to leave, and how they conceive of their identity following their exit from the group. When exiting from the Manosphere, young men experience conflict with leaders and fellow members, which causes them to start doubting the ideas of the Manosphere. The men are further influenced to leave by their support system through both intentional and unintentional interventions. The men also use disconnection from social media as an exit strategy.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Sociology

Grantor

University of Houston

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Reid, William Marcus 2000-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Baumle, Amanda K

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Oyarvide Tuthill, Zelma
• Olson, Beth

• Sociology

Language dc:language.iso

English

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10657/20725

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:uh-ir.tdl.org:10657/20725