Authoritarianism’s New Weapon: How gender is Used to Undermine Democracy
Nearly 40% of the world’s population lives in countries where democratic principles are eroding, marked by consolidating executive power, diminishing voter influence, and threatened civil liberties. While factors like income inequality and misinformation contribute to this decline, a new report from UC Berkeley and the violence prevention institution Over Zero reveals a frequently overlooked tactic employed by authoritarian leaders: the weaponization of gender.
authoritarians are increasingly leveraging gender-related issues – from transgender rights to declining birth rates – to manipulate public opinion, consolidate power, and undermine democratic institutions.The report, authored by Dr.Katharina González of the Institute for Belonging & Belonging Institute, identifies six key strategies authoritarians employ to entrench their power through gender. These tactics, observed across various countries, reveal a disturbing pattern of manipulation and control.
One core strategy involves constructing a threat. By instilling fear, authoritarians create a climate where extreme measures are more readily accepted. this manufactured crisis ofen centers around the aforementioned “gender ideology,” a deliberately vague term encompassing feminism, trans rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and reproductive rights – and even, at times, “woke ideology.” As González explains, this framing is a deliberate tactic: “It is easier to disregard an ideology than disregard human lives and human rights.”
Authoritarians also aim to reshape values, challenging established norms of equality and pluralism. They promote ideas of domination and hierarchy, initially within the context of gender and sexuality, then extending these concepts to broader societal structures. This can manifest as questioning the equality between all genders, asserting traditional roles for men and women, and suggesting that hierarchies are “natural and normal.”
A third strategy focuses on changing culture. Recognizing that many people are not directly engaged in politics, authoritarians seek to influence public opinion through cultural channels – including think tanks, parallel universities, and even spaces like mixed martial arts and online communities.
Building a big coalition is also crucial. the report highlights how combating “gender ideology” serves as a unifying force for disparate groups, like the MAGA coalition in the United States, despite their differing viewpoints. The ambiguity of the term allows for broad appeal and shared purpose.
Furthermore, authoritarians actively divide and polarize by framing issues in black-and-white terms, forcing opposition groups into uncomfortable positions. They frequently enough target issues that already create fractures within the opposition, exploiting sensitivities and complexities.
gender-related narratives are frequently used as a distraction from other power grabs or controversies. By manufacturing or exploiting these issues, authoritarians divert attention from their own actions and maintain control of the narrative.
This playbook isn’t confined to Europe and the U.S. González notes that similar strategies are being deployed globally, including in India, Brazil, and ghana. Evidence of coordinated efforts is also emerging, with academics in Belgium and Slovenia identifying strikingly similar imagery used by groups campaigning against women’s and LGBTQ+ rights, suggesting international coordination.
The report details numerous real-world examples, from the cancellation of drag shows at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., to the use of anti-Muslim sentiment to justify restrictive migration policies in the Netherlands. A particularly stark example is the shift in the U.S. political landscape. While Republican politicians struggled to weaponize transgender issues in 2019, the 2024 election cycle has seen the Trump campaign spend millions on anti-trans advertisements, with some analysts attributing potential democratic losses, in part, to this strategy. This shift, gonzález emphasizes, is not accidental. It’s a calculated effort to exploit complex issues, frame them around children’s and parental rights, and ultimately achieve political success.
Similarly,debates surrounding trans rights in the United Kingdom have been co-opted by far-right actors,who,despite often lacking genuine support for women’s rights,have used the rhetoric to legitimize their own agendas.
The weaponization of gender, therefore, represents a significant threat to democratic values worldwide. By understanding the strategies employed by authoritarian leaders, and recognizing the underlying patterns of manipulation, societies can better defend against these attacks and safeguard essential rights.
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