Why women (don’t) mobilise. Women’s protests in times of democratic backsliding: a comparative analysis of Hungary and Poland

This article explores the participation of women in protest politics, specifically looking at protests organised by women. Using the most similar systems design, it examines two Central European countries which experienced democratic backsliding but show different degrees of women’s mobilisation in response to illiberal changes and limitations of women’s rights: whereas women’s activism has been limited in Hungary, in Poland women have actively participated in demonstrations in the streets to defend their rights. This puzzle is explained using a supply-demand model which explores an interaction between the strength of feminist movements, protest alliances and issue salience. This article also reveals that feminist protests are counteractions to illiberalism and ultra-conservative crusading. Overall, this article draws inferences about the nexus between gender and contentious politics, participatory democracy and protests and thus contributes to the scholarly literature by examining a timely issue against the backdrop of populism, illiberalism and anti-gender campaigns.