Gendered positions within the Portuguese populist radical right party Chega and among its women members: Are women always right?

Abstract

Over the last three decades, populist radical right-wing parties have gained prominence in Europe, entering the political mainstream. Among the common features of such parties are included the support for traditional gender roles, opposition to so-called ‘gender ideology’ and feminist movements, and the protection of women’s rights through nationalist immigration policies. While research on gender in relation to these parties has surged alongside their electoral success, a scarcity is observed on gender-focused research on the Portuguese populist radical right, particularly the party Chega, which by 2024 had established itself as the third largest political party in the Portuguese parliament. This article centres Chega as a case study, setting out to explore the alignment between the official gender-related perspectives presented by the party and those defended by its women members. The focus of this study is on positions pertaining to gender equality, reproductive rights, gender ideology and femonationalism. The article offers an analysis of official Chega documents, an analysis of a party event on feminism, and analysis of interviews with Chega women members. Although small discrepancies can be found, particularly on the subject of reproductive rights, there is overall alignment between the party’s perspectives and those of the women Chega members who were interviewed, with the women generally expressing more straight-forward and radical stances regarding gender-related issues. This study contributes to the growing research on how populist radical right-wing parties in Europe engage with gender, as well as radical right-wing women’s perceptions of gender.