Gender Backsliding across the Populist Political Spectrum: Evidence from Hungary, the United States, and Mexico

• In Event: Comparative Politics Lightning Round

Abstract

Attacks on women’s rights by right-wing populist regimes in backsliding democracies have become increasingly common in the twenty-first century. Empirical evidence demonstrates a statistically-significant decline in gender indices in the set of countries that have embraced right-wing populism under the auspices of promoting family and traditionalist values. However, the regression of gender equity policies has not been limited to right-wing populists, as some left-wing populist regimes have also seen reversions of previous progress. To illustrate that gender backsliding is not the sole purview of the populist right, we examine three countries—Hungary, the United States, and Mexico—to demonstrate how gender policies are under attack in populist regimes across the political spectrum. We also offer solutions from other countries that have had populist regimes but also managed to secure hard-fought gains in promoting women’s rights and broader gender equity.

Authors

• Bill Gelfeld, Tecnologíco de Monterrey

• Laura Dudley Jenkins, University of Cincinnati