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And If the Opponents of Gender Ideology Are Right? Gender Politics, Europeanization, and the Democratic Deficit

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 October 2019

Marta Rawłuszko Open the ORCID record for Marta Rawłuszko [Opens in a new window]
Marta Rawłuszko*
Affiliation:
University of Warsaw
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Abstract

This article explores the dynamics of antigender mobilization in Poland and shows how gender equality projects are interconnected with the rise of opponents of “gender ideology.” It highlights material and discursive links between the local implementation of gender mainstreaming and the antigenderist backlash. The article points out that particular gender equality policies in non-Western settings result from Europeanization and thus are marked by a significant democratic deficit—that is, they are promoted without engaging a wider audience and elude parliamentary control. The study shows that if gender equality projects, such as gender mainstreaming, are fostered by external international commitments and obscure bureaucratic measures, they may unintentionally provide the impetus for antigender mobilization. Indeed, gender wars are fueled not only by controversies over gender and LGBT equality but also by growing concerns about citizens’ control over the state and its policies. The article is data based, and by employing framing analysis, it provides an explanation of the recent political success of antigenderist campaigns, which take place in a world of reconfigured states and diminishing democracies.

Keywords

Gender ideologygender mainstreamingEuropeanizationdemocratic deficitantigender movements
Type
Research Article
Information
Politics & Gender , Volume 17 , Issue 2 , June 2021 , pp. 301 - 323
Copyright
Copyright © The Women, Gender, and Politics Research Section of the American Political Science Association 2019

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Footnotes

This article was prepared within the framework of research project no. 2016/21/N/HS6/02877 financed by the National Science Centre in Poland.

References

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