Unpacking Femonationalism: Intersection of Nativism, Gender, Populist RR Support

• In Event: Advances in the Study of Gender and Politics

Abstract

Populist Radical Right (PRR) parties have traditionally been seen as Männerparteien: parties that are led, represented, and supported largely by men. However, when faced with electoral insecurity, these parties have increasingly attempted to attract female voters. While the long-term gender gap in voters still persists across the PRR party family, less is known about the constellations of voters that these parties have attracted in response to their “pro-female” appeals. In this paper, we seek to answer the question of which men and women vote for PRR parties in Europe. Drawing upon three waves of the European Values Survey from 1999 to 2017, paired with 15 waves of panel data from the Netherlands, we identify the dynamics of voter attitudes on immigration and gender equality and explore whether and how the nature of PRR voters has changed since the introduction of femonationalism. Initial analyses reveal that gender attitudes have now emerged as a significant predictor of PRR support; these parties are no longer attracting voters primarily on the immigration issue. And importantly, while traditional views on gender remain the dominant attitude held by PRR voters, since the emergence of femonationalist appeals, there is now a growing group of gender egalitarian nativist individuals being drawn to the PRR party family. This effect is not limited to women, challenging the initial interpretation of femonationalist appeals as being about importing feminism (and largely women voters) to nationalist parties. Indeed a closer look suggests that these tactics manage to draw in gender egalitarian men and women voters without alienating gender traditional supporters.

Authors

• Bonnie M. Meguid, University of Rochester

• Sami Gul, University of Rochester