Involuntary Celibacy and Singlehood: Gender and Vulnerability in Times of Precarious Love

The project investigates experiences of involuntary celibacy and singlehood. In particular, we are interested in what role conceptions of gender, sex, love and vulnerability play when various groups of people make sense of their involuntary celibacy and/or singlehood. Through a study of online forums, interviews and a survey, the project investigates both the online incel community, known for nourishing misogynist, pro-violence attitudes, and the everyday experiences of involuntary celibacy and singlehood in the broader population, including both women and men. Theoretically the project contributes to debates about recent transformations of the gendered conditions of intimacy and to conceptualizations of men’s experiences of vulnerability in a general context marked by male privilege.

Published so far: 

• Johansson Wilén, E. (2024). Incel Epistemology: On Marginality, Experience and Legitimization of Knowledge.  Young – Nordic Journal of Youth Research.
  
  
• Johansson Wilén, E., Wemrell, M. & Gunnarsson, L. (2024). Gender knowledge production and epistemology in the incelosphere. Journal of Gender Studies 
  
  
• Gunnarsson, L., Johansson Wilén, E. & Wemrell, M. (2025). Who Holds the Power? Gendered Experiences of Involuntary Singlehood in the Age of Online Dating. Sociological Inquiry.  
  
  
• Johansson Wilén, E., Gunnarsson, L. & Wemrell, M. (2025). Vem har makten över kärleken? Röda rummet.
  
  
• Johansson Wilén, E. & Wemrell, M. (2025). Love Can Still Liberate. Jacobin.
  
  

Selection of Media Appearances:

• Studio Genus: Incels. Intervju med Evelina Johansson Wilén, 1 april 2025.

• ”Så olika drabbas män och kvinnor av ensamhet”, Förmiddag i P1, 27 november 2025.

• ”Ny studie om dejting: ’Jag har aldrig känt mig så ful som på Tinder’”, Örebro universitet, 4 november 2025.

• ”Män och kvinnor kritiserar varandra i ny studie om nätdejting från Örebro universitet”, SVT Örebro, 11 november 2025.

• ”Ny studie: Därför är det svårt att träffa kärleken”, Aftonbladet, 6 november 2025. 

• "Borsta tänderna och skicka gulliga bilder – ny dejtingmanual ger råd", P1 Morgon, 3 december 2025.