The Far-Right Playbook: How Antidemocratic and Authoritarian Leaders Weaponize Gender

• In Event: 50426 - Far-Right Extremism Inside the Government

Abstract

The role of gender in the worldwide resurgence of authoritarianism is often treated as an afterthought. Even when it is acknowledged, it is typically subsumed in broader discussions of authoritarian tactics like militarization, disinformation, and algorithm-driven social-media bubbles. But gender, misogyny, and machismo are not secondary concerns for authoritarians, particularly populists who have gained power through democratic processes. On the contrary: gender-based grievances now function as a powerful lever for mobilizing audiences, voters, and donors by convincing them that any shift in gender norms jeopardizes family stability, moral order, and even civilization itself. In this paper, I trace this reactionary project and its aims, and assess four stages through which authoritarian strategy deploys gendered attacks to mobilize politically. While gender is not the only wedge, it has become a particularly effective way to translate confusion, fear, and anger into political gains. The first year of the second Trump administration has made one lesson crystal clear: gender is not a sideshow. The remorseless exploitation of gender-based grievances has become one of the most reliable weapons in the far right’s arsenal, hollowing out the democratic norms that make equality and shared citizenship possible. Any serious attempt to understand – and resist – this movement must confront its gender politics head-on.

Author

• Cynthia Miller-Idriss, American University