DIGSSCORE Seminar: The role of sexist attitudes and gender in the electoral success of the Italian far-right

Francesca Feo, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Government at the University of Bergen, will present for us today. Her presentation is titled "The role of sexist attitudes and gender in the electoral success of the Italian far-right".

The event is in a hybrid format, you are welcome to join us for lunch from the Corner room at DIGSSCORE. Food is provided on a first-come first-served basis. Zoom link for digital attendance.

Abstract:

The radical right continues to score electoral victories in many European countries. The 2022 Italian national elections are paradigmatic on this regard: the results determined the coming into power of an electoral coalition counting of two radical right parties (The Brothers of Italy and the League) and one radicalised mainstream party ("Forza Italia"). What can be accounted for this enduring mobilizational success of the radical right in current democracies? This article, following emerging literature on the gendered aspects of the cultural backlash argues that gender conservatism plays a key role in this success, beside other core ideological traits such as nativism, authoritarianism, and populism. This is tested by analysing national election data, collected in Italy on the eve of the 2022 national elections. Preliminary conclusions show that sexist attitudes and antifeminism are important predictors for the individual support for the radical right in the country, confirming similar trends in other countries.