Gender as Symbolic Glue: Conservative and far right parties in the anti-gender mobilisations in Europe

The Foundation for European Progressive Studies and Friedrich Ebert Stiftung released a report on the position and role of conservative and far right parties in the anti-gender mobilisations in Europe, especially France, Germany, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.

This topic is of high importance due to the current mobilisations rejecting the term ‘gender’ itself. Anti-gender movements want to claim that gender equality is an “ideology”, and introduce the misleading terms “gender ideology” or “gender theory” which distort the achievements of gender equality. The main targets are the alleged “propaganda” for LGBTI rights, for reproductive rights and biotechnology, for sexual and equality education. This phenomenon has negative consequences for the legislation on gender equality.

In the current publication, we are looking at this phenomenon in connection to the programmes and discourses of far right and conservative parties, as well as the overlaps among them. Following the argumentation presented in the papers, these political parties have a stake on the issue.

All the peer-reviewed papers follow a common structure. The authors drafted conclusions and subsequent policy recommendations for the progressive side to stand up against fundamentalist political activism.