Constructing gender polarisation in online interaction: Affective blame attributions in Finnish Reddit discussions

Abstract

Debates about a growing ideological gender divide have intensified in public discourse, yet little is known about how such polarisation is constructed in everyday interaction. This study addresses that gap by examining how gender polarisation is discursively and affectively produced in online discussions in Finland. Drawing on an affective and critical discursive approach, the analysis focuses on affective blame attributions in two Finnish Reddit threads discussing the perceived gender gap. The findings show that polarisation is not simply asserted but actively explained and negotiated through competing attributions of responsibility – to societal neglect, failed dialogue, media dynamics, ideological extremism, and gendered power relations. These accounts are emotionally charged and often oppositional, reproducing the very divisions they seek to explain. The study contributes to social psychological research by conceptualising gender polarisation as an interactional and affective process, demonstrating how it is constructed and sustained through everyday online discourse.