In person icon Gender and De-democratization

Abstract

Attacks on gender equality and women’s and LGBT rights activism have become more vocal, more global and better organized. In addition, de-democratization trends and the spread of illiberal democracy create uncertain and unstable contexts to advance or protect gender equality rights. We see a widening and assertive pushback particularly affecting recent democracies, but increasingly old democracies as well. A variety of actors actively mobilizes against gender equality and sexuality rights, including religious and conservative actors, right wing populist and nationalist groups, men’s rights groups and more recently anti-gender ideology movements. Also, increasingly, state actors like governments and political parties openly express their opposition to gender equality and question its legitimacy as a political objective. The space of human rights groups is curbed, and in some contexts they face repressive or even violent actions ranging from disproportionate auditing as a means of control, to policing and physical attacks of activists. In policy and public debates groups opposing gender and sexuality rights gain voice and standing that is in par with women’s rights groups and LGBT groups. Movement-countermovement dynamics evolve in the context of hostile states. The panel explores several important questions related to these trends. What are the gendered dynamics and implications of current processes of democratic backsliding, illiberalism and authoritarianism? Are gender rights in decline in contexts of de-democratization? Do we see backsliding and reversal in gender equality and sexual rights and policies? How resilient are equality policies and institutional arrangements established in the last two decades? In particular we focus on the implications of de-democratization and backlash for pro-equality advocacy and feminist activism? What do the anti-gender attacks and hostile states mean for movement capacities and strategies? Does activism falter in hostile conditions or do we see resistance and strengthening? How are the relations between state and gender rights organizations reconfigured and how does this affect the inclusion and participation of these groups into policy processes? What strategies do activists employ to prevent the regression of rights?

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