When populism met gender: stories of manipulation and denial

The paper explores the (mis)use of gender as a concept by populist right-wing parties in Bulgaria and Italy. Beginning with a discussion of hegemonic masculinity, misogyny, gendered language, and the manipulation of gender stereotypes, it highlights two major ways in which gender is exploited by right-leaning populist parties for political gains. Firstly, such parties might disseminate harmful misogynistic narratives, often supported by gendered misinformation and disinformation and facilitated by the weaknesses of social media and digital technologies. The second way in which some parties exploit gender is through embedding in political discourse archaic and stereotypical representations of women. The paper concentrates on the last five years (2018-2022) in the two studied countries. In Bulgaria, this period was marked by vicious disinformation campaigns against the Council of Europe’s Istanbul Convention, which remains unratified. With respect to Italy, I touch upon the gains of right-wing populist parties, the attacks against women politicians and activists, and the risk of discrimination and abuse that women migrants and asylum-seekers often face. The research is based on qualitative content analysis of political declarations and in-depth semi-structured interviews with experts on gender, disinformation, and human rights.