Doubly underestimated: antifeminism and the engagement of far-right women - considerations of supposed contradictions

This chapter examines the engagement of far-right women and their role in the context of international antifeminist arguments and campaigns. Although women in far-right structures are not a new phenomenon, their political effectiveness is still underestimated. We show that women’s participation in far-right-wing activities and contexts is quantitatively lower than men’s, but equal in their political attitude potential. Furthermore, we make clear that antifeminism serves as a pivotal issue for the far right in order to bring different social and political milieus together and achieve broad social acceptance of antifeminist positions. Antifeminism must thus be understood as the fundamental ideology of the far right. Far-right women are also involved in promoting antifeminist narratives, and antifeminism is a specific field for them. This seems supposedly contradictory, since right-wing women contradict their own antifeminist demands with their engagement. However, we argue, with this commitment they can maintain and even consolidate their position on the far right.