Antifeminism in the German Far Right: A Comparative Analysis Across Political Arenas

Far-right governments and leaders worldwide ban gender-inclusive language and policies, while also deploying gender equality and sexuality flexibly to legitimise their nationalist agendas. While research on gender and the far-right points to a shared antifeminist ideology, gender politics vary within and across different far-right political parties and arenas. How and why do far-right actors debate gender and sexuality differently across various social and political contexts? This article addresses this question by examining gender politics and how they are adapted across four different arenas of the German far-right network: the European Parliament, the German parliament, far-right media, and activists. The article finds that although all far-right actors consistently promote a shared antifeminist ideology, they alter their strategic frames in their messaging, ranging from civilisational protection and national sovereignty to the protection of the family, cultural decline, women’s emancipation, and public safety. This flexible ‘gender politics’ aim to maximise the resonance and legitimacy of far-right actors and their antifeminist hegemonic project.