In the seventh PTI Memo blog post, we report on a lecture given by Dorottya Szikra and Adrienn Győry, researchers at the Institute of Sociology of the Centre for Social Sciences, titled “How right-wing autocratizers win over women: Female voting behavior and the expansion of work-family policies in Europe’s periphery.”
The researchers discussed how far-right political forces have increased their popularity among female voters in recent years. Far-right parties are generally perceived as opposing gender equality and women’s rights. Therefore, it is not surprising that they have typically received more support from male voters than from female voters. However, this pattern has changed in several countries in recent years.
In their study, the researchers point out that the gender composition of voters supporting far-right parties in power has reversed in several peripheral European countries, to the extent that in many places a female majority has emerged among their supporters. Szikra and Győry examined family and labor policy measures introduced by these parties in Russia, Turkey, Poland, and Hungary, concluding that the introduction of family-friendly policies and the appointment of women to important political positions have increased the popularity of far-right forces among female voters.
In the countries examined, a strong discourse centered on the traditional family model and conservative right-wing values was present, which the far right used to legitimize its policy decisions. The researchers also highlight contradictions in this discourse: while far-right parties in power do not seek gender equality, their policies nevertheless strengthen women’s economic and financial independence.