Wolf Packs vs. Safe Herds: Sex, Milieu, and the Gynofascism Debate

Feminization and safetyism are increasingly debated in public, but the underlying decision-making processes remain unexplained. This study examines orientation towards herds (normativity/safety) versus packs (hierarchical cooperation) using ipsative dilemmas (N = 351), integrating life history theory and feminist, social, and personality perspectives, differentiating by sex, personality, and milieu (wealth, education, politics, city size). Women showed stronger herd orientation than men, especially poor heterosexual female students; poor right-wing men showed strongest pack-orientation. Stability aspects (compassion, orderliness) predicted herds, while the Dark Tetrad traits predicted packs. Interactions between sex and milieu challenged ideological explanations with women’s herd tendency persisting across contexts and men’s pack orientation showing strategic flexibility. Life history theory best explained patterns: protection, safety, and normative decisions in women versus risk-taking in men to gain status. Micro-level sex differences may extend to institutional security trends, warranting replications to test macro-level effects.