diff --git a/changelogs/fragments/11873-gem-user-install-os-defaults.yml b/changelogs/fragments/11873-gem-user-install-os-defaults.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..fda37a7fa3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelogs/fragments/11873-gem-user-install-os-defaults.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+minor_changes:
+  - gem - add ``override_platform_install_dir`` option to work around OS-injected platform install
+    dir defaults on distributions such as Fedora
+    (https://github.com/ansible-collections/community.general/issues/3259,
+    https://github.com/ansible-collections/community.general/pull/11873).
diff --git a/plugins/modules/gem.py b/plugins/modules/gem.py
index f3e3567a50..0405dd2ff2 100644
--- a/plugins/modules/gem.py
+++ b/plugins/modules/gem.py
@@ -98,6 +98,17 @@ options:
       - Force gem to (un-)install, bypassing dependency checks.
     default: false
     type: bool
+  override_platform_install_dir:
+    description:
+      - Resolve the user gem installation directory via C(gem environment) and pass it explicitly
+        as C(--install-dir) to both C(gem install) and C(gem uninstall), instead of using C(--user-install).
+      - This is needed on distributions (such as Fedora) where a platform-specific C(operating_system.rb)
+        injects C(--install-dir) as a default for all gem commands, which conflicts with C(--user-install)
+        and causes C(gem uninstall) to search the wrong directory.
+      - Cannot be combined with O(user_install=false) or O(install_dir).
+    default: false
+    type: bool
+    version_added: 13.0.0
 author:
   - "Ansible Core Team"
   - "Johan Wiren (@johanwiren)"
@@ -122,6 +133,7 @@ EXAMPLES = r"""
     state: present
 """
 
+import os
 import re
 
 from ansible.module_utils.basic import AnsibleModule
@@ -133,13 +145,23 @@ RE_VERSION = re.compile(r"^(\d+)\.(\d+)\.(\d+)")
 RE_INSTALLED = re.compile(r"\S+\s+\((?:default: )?(.+)\)")
 
 
-def get_rubygems_path(module):
+def get_rubygems_path(module: AnsibleModule) -> list[str]:
     if module.params["executable"]:
         return module.params["executable"].split()
     return [module.get_bin_path("gem", True)]
 
 
-def get_rubygems_version(module):
+def get_user_install_dir(module: AnsibleModule) -> str | None:
+    cmd = get_rubygems_path(module)
+    rc, out, err = module.run_command(cmd + ["environment"], check_rc=True)
+    for line in out.splitlines():
+        match = re.search(r"USER INSTALLATION DIRECTORY:\s*(.+)", line)
+        if match:
+            return match.group(1).strip()
+    return None
+
+
+def get_rubygems_version(module: AnsibleModule) -> tuple[int, ...] | None:
     cmd = get_rubygems_path(module) + ["--version"]
     rc, out, err = module.run_command(cmd, check_rc=True)
     match = RE_VERSION.match(out)
@@ -148,7 +170,7 @@ def get_rubygems_version(module):
     return tuple(int(x) for x in match.groups())
 
 
-def make_runner(module, ver):
+def make_runner(module: AnsibleModule, ver: tuple[int, ...] | None) -> CmdRunner:
     command = get_rubygems_path(module)
 
     environ_update = {}
@@ -195,7 +217,7 @@ def make_runner(module, ver):
     )
 
 
-def get_installed_versions(runner, remote=False):
+def get_installed_versions(runner: CmdRunner, remote: bool = False) -> list[str]:
     name = runner.module.params["name"]
     if remote:
         args_order = ["_list_subcmd", "norc", "_remote_flag", "repository", "_name_pattern"]
@@ -213,7 +235,7 @@ def get_installed_versions(runner, remote=False):
     return installed_versions
 
 
-def exists(runner):
+def exists(runner: CmdRunner) -> bool:
     module = runner.module
     if module.params["state"] == "latest":
         remoteversions = get_installed_versions(runner, remote=True)
@@ -225,7 +247,7 @@ def exists(runner):
     return bool(installed_versions)
 
 
-def install(runner):
+def install(runner: CmdRunner, user_dir: str | None = None) -> None:
     args_order = [
         "_install_subcmd",
         "norc",
@@ -243,10 +265,14 @@ def install(runner):
         "force",
     ]
     with runner(args_order, check_mode_skip=True) as ctx:
-        ctx.run()
+        if user_dir:
+            bindir = runner.module.params["bindir"] or os.path.join(user_dir, "bin")
+            ctx.run(user_install=False, install_dir=user_dir, bindir=bindir)
+        else:
+            ctx.run()
 
 
-def uninstall(runner):
+def uninstall(runner: CmdRunner, user_dir: str | None = None) -> tuple[int, str, str] | None:
     args_order = [
         "_uninstall_subcmd",
         "norc",
@@ -258,7 +284,10 @@ def uninstall(runner):
         "name",
     ]
     with runner(args_order, check_mode_skip=True) as ctx:
-        return ctx.run(_uninstall_version=runner.module.params["version"])
+        kwargs = {"_uninstall_version": runner.module.params["version"]}
+        if user_dir:
+            kwargs["install_dir"] = user_dir
+        return ctx.run(**kwargs)
 
 
 def main():
@@ -280,6 +309,7 @@ def main():
             version=dict(type="str"),
             build_flags=dict(type="str"),
             force=dict(default=False, type="bool"),
+            override_platform_install_dir=dict(default=False, type="bool"),
         ),
         supports_check_mode=True,
         mutually_exclusive=[["gem_source", "repository"], ["gem_source", "version"]],
@@ -291,22 +321,32 @@ def main():
         module.fail_json(msg="Cannot maintain state=latest when installing from local source")
     if module.params["user_install"] and module.params["install_dir"]:
         module.fail_json(msg="install_dir requires user_install=false")
+    if module.params["override_platform_install_dir"]:
+        if not module.params["user_install"]:
+            module.fail_json(msg="override_platform_install_dir requires user_install=true")
+        if module.params["install_dir"]:
+            module.fail_json(msg="override_platform_install_dir cannot be combined with install_dir")
 
     if not module.params["gem_source"]:
         module.params["gem_source"] = module.params["name"]
 
     ver = get_rubygems_version(module)
+
+    user_dir = None
+    if module.params["override_platform_install_dir"]:
+        user_dir = get_user_install_dir(module)
+
     runner = make_runner(module, ver)
 
     changed = False
 
     if module.params["state"] in ["present", "latest"]:
         if not exists(runner):
-            install(runner)
+            install(runner, user_dir)
             changed = True
     elif module.params["state"] == "absent":
         if exists(runner):
-            command_output = uninstall(runner)
+            command_output = uninstall(runner, user_dir)
             if command_output is not None and exists(runner):
                 rc, out, err = command_output
                 module.fail_json(
diff --git a/tests/integration/targets/gem/tasks/main.yml b/tests/integration/targets/gem/tasks/main.yml
index 2f1363ee85..3b7913b9b0 100644
--- a/tests/integration/targets/gem/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/tests/integration/targets/gem/tasks/main.yml
@@ -30,23 +30,15 @@
       loop: "{{ test_packages }}"
       when: ansible_facts.distribution != "MacOSX"
 
-    - name: Install a gem
-      gem:
-        name: gist
-        state: present
-      register: install_gem_result
-      ignore_errors: true
+    # default user_install: skip on RedHat/Fedora where OS-injected --install-dir conflicts
+    - when: ansible_facts.os_family != "RedHat"
+      block:
+        - name: Install a gem (default user_install)
+          gem:
+            name: gist
+            state: present
+          register: install_gem_result
 
-    # when running as root on Fedora, '--install-dir' is set in the os defaults which is
-    # incompatible with '--user-install', we ignore this error for this case only
-    - name: fail if failed to install gem
-      fail:
-        msg: "failed to install gem: {{ install_gem_result.msg }}"
-      when:
-        - install_gem_result is failed
-        - not (ansible_facts.user_uid == 0 and "User --install-dir or --user-install but not both" not in install_gem_result.msg)
-
-    - block:
         - name: List gems
           command: gem list
           register: current_gems
@@ -72,7 +64,6 @@
             that:
               - remove_gem_results is changed
               - current_gems.stdout is not search('gist\s+\([0-9.]+\)')
-      when: not install_gem_result is failed
 
     # install gem in --no-user-install
     - block:
@@ -97,6 +88,7 @@
           gem:
             name: gist
             state: absent
+            user_install: false
           register: remove_gem_results
 
         - name: List gems
@@ -179,7 +171,7 @@
         state: present
         bindir: "{{ remote_tmp_dir }}/custom_bindir"
         norc: true
-        user_install: false  # Avoid conflicts between --install-dir and --user-install when running as root on CentOS / Fedora / RHEL
+        user_install: false
       register: install_gem_result
 
     - name: Get stats of gem executable
@@ -199,7 +191,7 @@
         state: absent
         bindir: "{{ remote_tmp_dir }}/custom_bindir"
         norc: true
-        user_install: false  # Avoid conflicts between --install-dir and --user-install when running as root on CentOS / Fedora / RHEL
+        user_install: false
       register: install_gem_result
 
     - name: Get stats of gem executable
@@ -213,6 +205,53 @@
           - install_gem_result is changed
           - not gem_bindir_stat.stat.exists
 
+    # override_platform_install_dir: install and remove using explicit user gem dir
+    - name: Install a gem with override_platform_install_dir
+      gem:
+        name: gist
+        state: present
+        override_platform_install_dir: true
+      register: install_gem_result
+
+    - name: List gems
+      command: gem list
+      register: current_gems
+
+    - name: Ensure gem was installed with override_platform_install_dir
+      assert:
+        that:
+          - install_gem_result is changed
+          - current_gems.stdout is search('gist\s+\([0-9.]+\)')
+
+    - name: Install a gem with override_platform_install_dir (idempotency)
+      gem:
+        name: gist
+        state: present
+        override_platform_install_dir: true
+      register: install_gem_result
+
+    - name: Ensure install is idempotent
+      assert:
+        that:
+          - install_gem_result is not changed
+
+    - name: Remove a gem with override_platform_install_dir
+      gem:
+        name: gist
+        state: absent
+        override_platform_install_dir: true
+      register: remove_gem_result
+
+    - name: List gems
+      command: gem list
+      register: current_gems
+
+    - name: Verify gem was removed with override_platform_install_dir
+      assert:
+        that:
+          - remove_gem_result is changed
+          - current_gems.stdout is not search('gist\s+\([0-9.]+\)')
+
     - name: Attempt to uninstall default gem 'json'
       community.general.gem:
         name: json