Struggle over gender in a populist era

The fight for the rights of women and sexual minorities has always faced obstacles, but today the resistance is more structured and organized than before. In her work as a Wallenberg Scholar, Mia Liinason will examine this resistance within various anti-establishment movements in five European regions.

Throughout the 20th century, collective movements working for greater rights have played an important role in modernizing our societies and strengthening democracy and welfare through efforts for social equality and justice. However, developments over the last decade have shown that women's and sexual minorities' rights have not been won once and for all.

Although there's an unprecedented spread and mobilization in the struggles for the rights of women and sexual minorities today, there's also a noticeable rise in resistance from anti-gender networks. These groups are actively opposing the rights of women and LGBTQ+ individuals, as well as efforts towards democratizing family structures.

"Resistance and opposition to gender equality and sexual rights are nothing new. However, there is a significant shift in how anti-gender actors are forming networks, with right-wing populists and religious fundamentalists collaborating to demand a return to traditional values. This phenomenon is new, and we aim to investigate it", says Mia Liinason.

A time of transition

Liinason argues that today's conflicts show that we are living in a time of transition, where different tensions and contradictions meet in the same political space. 

“This has sparked a populist wave, where various anti-establishment movements, spanning the political spectrum from both the right and the left, are protesting against the neoliberal social order and its inability to establish fair and equal living standards for all” she says.

Together with her research team, Mia Liinason will investigate some of the most prominent antigender networks, as well as corresponding feminist and LGBT+ networks, in five European regions. The idea is to capture the role of gender and sexuality in the tactics, political programs, and social visions of these different actors. The researchers want to identify new normative foundations for the society that is emerging in the wake of these conflicts. They also want to highlight how human rights are affected. 

“Despite Europe being regarded as a global stronghold of democracy, political scientists show that democracy in Europe is in decline, returning to the levels of forty years ago. There is a lack of knowledge about why and how these changes are taking place", says Liinason.

Her ambition is to explore the full range of initiatives across the political spectrum, both right-wing and left-wing, and those that take liberal but also illiberal expressions. 

Photo Erik Thor