• DOI:10.1017/S1743923X19000576
• Corpus ID: 210541940

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

@article{Rawuszko2021AndIT,
  title={And If the Opponents of Gender Ideology Are Right? Gender Politics, Europeanization, and the Democratic Deficit},
  author={Marta Rawłuszko},
  journal={Politics \& Gender},
  year={2021},
  volume={17},
  pages={301 - 323}
}

• M. Rawłuszko
• Published 28 October 2019
• Sociology
• Politics & Gender

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.