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DEMOCRATIC BACKSLIDING and the BACKLASH AGAINST WOMEN’S RIGHTS: Understanding the Current Challenges for Feminist Politics

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DEMOCRATIC BACKSLIDING and the BACKLASH AGAINST WOMEN’S RIGHTS: Understanding the Current Challenges for Feminist Politics DISCUSSION PAPER DEMOCRATIC BACKSLIDING AND THE BACKLASH AGAINST WOMEN’S RIGHTS: Understanding the current challenges for feminist politics No. 35, June 2020 CONNY ROGGEBAND AND ANDREA KRIZSÁN BACKGROUND PAPER PREPARED FOR THE EXPERT GROUP MEETING ON THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BEIJING PLATFORM FOR ACTION, TO INFORM THE 64TH SESSION OF THE COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN The UN Women discussion paper series is led by the Research and Data section. The series features research commissioned as background papers for publications by leading researchers from different national and regional contexts. Each paper benefits from an anonymous external peer review process before being published in this series. © 2020 UN Women. All rights reserved. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of UN Women, the United Nations or any of its affiliated organizations. Produced by the Research and Data Section Editor: Tina Johnson DISCUSSION PAPER DEMOCRATIC BACKSLIDING AND THE BACKLASH AGAINST WOMEN’S RIGHTS: Understanding the current challenges for feminist politics No. 35, June 2020 CONNY ROGGEBAND AND ANDREA KRIZSÁN BACKGROUND PAPER PREPARED FOR THE EXPERT GROUP MEETING ON THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BEIJING PLATFORM FOR ACTION, TO INFORM THE 64TH SESSION OF THE COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN TABLE OF CONTENTS SUMMARY 5. IMPLICATIONS OF BACKLASH FOR WOMEN’S RIGHTS AND GENDER EQUALITY POLICIES 28 5.1 Discursive delegitimization of gender 1. INTRODUCTION 1 equality policies 29 5.2 Policy dismantling and reframing 30 5.3 Undermining of implementation arrangements 32 2. BACKLASH AGAINST WOMEN’S RIGHTS: 5.4 Erosion of inclusion and accountability mechanisms 32 ACTORS AND STRATEGIES 4 5.5 Dismantling patterns and strategies 33 3. FRAGILE DEMOCRACIES AND THE RISE OF 6. CONCLUSIONS 36 ANTI-DEMOCRATIC AND ANTI-GENDER GOVERNMENTS 8 BIBLIOGRAPHY 40 4. IMPLICATIONS OF BACKLASH ON STATE- MOVEMENT RELATIONS: A TRIADIC APPROACH 11 4.1 Top down: State responses to movements 14 4.2 Bottom up: Women’s movements’ responses to reconfigurations 19 4.3 Interactions between women’s movements and movements opposing gender equality 25 SUMMARY Trends of de-democratization across Europe and the challenges to the literature on gender and politics. Americas have emerged along with opposition to In this paper, we propose a conceptual framework to gender equality and threats to previous gender equality discuss these two interrelated realms: backsliding on policy achievements. Yet, de-democratization is rarely gender equality policies and the emerging political analysed through the lens of gender equality and, so space for feminist responses to this backsliding. We far, efforts to systematically examine the implications illustrate our framework with empirical observations for inclusive democracy and the representation of from three Central and Eastern European countries: gender interests are fragmented. Backsliding on Croatia, Hungary and Poland. We aim to contribute gender policies and on state commitments to gender to an understanding of the gendered aspects of equality, and new forms of feminist engagement with de-democratization and the functioning of illiberal hostile governments and audiences, also raise new democracies. RÉSUMÉ Les tendances à la « dé-démocratisation » (le recul de des gouvernements et des audiences hostiles font éga- la démocratisation) à l’oeuvre en Europe et dans les lement apparaître de nouveaux défis pour la littérature Amériques ont convergé avec la montée de l’opposition sur le genre et la politique. Dans ce document, nous à l’égalité des sexes et des tentatives de sabotage des proposons d’élaborer un cadre conceptuel permettant victoires enregistrées par les politiques en faveur de de débattre de ces deux volets interdépendants : le l’égalité des sexes. Pourtant, la « dé-démocratisation » recul des politiques en faveur de l’égalité des sexes et est rarement analysée à travers le prisme de l’égalité l’émergence d’un espace politique pour apporter des des sexes et, à ce jour, les efforts déployés pour exami- réponses féministes face à ces reculs. Nous illustrons ner de manière systématique ses répercussions sur la notre cadre avec des observations empiriques prove- démocratie inclusive et la représentation des intérêts nant de trois pays d’Europe centrale et d’Europe de genrés sont fragmentaires. Le recul des politiques l’Est : la Croatie, la Hongrie et la Pologne. Nous voulons en faveur de l’égalité des sexes et des engagements contribuer à améliorer la compréhension des aspects contractés par les États pour garantir l’égalité des sexes genrés de la « dé-démocratisation » et du fonctionne- et les nouvelles formes d’engagement féministe face à ment des démocraties non libérales. Democratic backsliding and the backlash against women’s rights: Understanding the current challenges for feminist politics iv RESUMEN A lo largo y ancho de Europa y las Américas, han sur- gobiernos y públicos hostiles también plantean nue- gido tendencias de desdemocratización junto con una vos desafíos para la literatura sobre género y política. oposición a la igualdad de género y amenazas a los En este trabajo, proponemos un marco conceptual logros en materia de políticas de igualdad de género. para discutir estas dos esferas interrelacionadas: el Sin embargo, la desdemocratización pocas veces ha declive de las políticas de igualdad de género y el espa- sido sometida a un análisis desde una perspectiva de cio político emergente para las respuestas feministas igualdad de género y, hasta ahora, los esfuerzos para a dicho declive. Ilustramos este marco con observa- examinar sistemáticamente las implicaciones para la ciones empíricas realizadas en tres países de Europa democracia y la representación inclusivas de los inte- central y oriental, a saber: Croacia, Hungría y Polonia. reses de género se dan de forma fragmentada. Tanto Con ello aspiramos a contribuir a una comprensión el declive de las políticas de género y de los compro- de los aspectos de género del proceso de desdemo- misos de los Estados con la igualdad de género como cratización y el funcionamiento de las democracias las nuevas formas de compromiso feminista frente a conservadoras. Democratic backsliding and the backlash against women’s rights: Understanding the current challenges for feminist politics v 1. INTRODUCTION1 The adoption of the Beijing Platform for Action at the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women was widely celebrated by feminists for its progressive global commitments. Yet, the hard-won gains on women’s rights are currently under attack in fields as diverse as political participation, the labour market, care work and violence against women. Trends of backsliding and de-democratization have emerged across Europe and the Americas, starting mainly around the time of the economic and financial crisis. We see articulated opposition to gender equality and threats to previous gender equality policy gains. Women’s rights are particularly vulnerable in fragile and nascent democracies where such rights have been more recently established and where the space for civil society actors to defend them is limited and even shrinking2. While significant attention has been devoted to democratic backsliding3, there is a striking lack of research into its gendered aspects and implications. In this paper we propose a conceptual framework To develop our conceptual framework, we use empirical to analyse and reveal the consequences of these illustrations gathered in previous and ongoing com- processes for inclusive democracy. The quality of parative research on the Central and Eastern European democracy can be assessed by the degree of its inclu- (CEE) region,6 which has been in the forefront of back- siveness and representativeness of societal interests, sliding in gender equality policies in recent years.7 In a including its responsiveness to women’s interests.4 We number of CEE countries, populist governments with ask: What does backsliding mean for gender equality hostile views on gender equality have taken office since policies and what are its implications for women’s 2010. As a result, official political discourses changed rights? How do feminists respond to and resist back- from positions that were either largely supportive sliding in the newly hostile political environment? of or silent on gender equality to openly challenging formally adopted and accepted policies.8 We examine We define backsliding in the field of gender equality the gender equality implications of these changes in policies with reference to the substantive normative three countries noted in recent studies as facing strong content of gender equality as a benchmark. But we see opposition to gender equality from both civil society the meaning of gender equality as differing depend- and government actors: Croatia, Hungary and Poland.9 ing on the political, social and cultural context.5 To use a substantive but contextualized approach, we define The Law and Justice (Prawo i Sprawiedliwosc, PiS) Gov- backsliding as States going back on previous commit- ernment in Poland, elected in 2015, launched a series ments to gender equality norms as defined in their respective political contexts. 6 Data for our analysis come partly from our previous com- parative project focusing on the development of policies 1 This report is part of an ongoing research project on de- on violence against women in these countries (Krizsán and democratization processes and the backlash against
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