Conservatism with a Potential for Anti-Feminist Mobilization: Using Interviews to Understand AfD Voters’ Gender Values in Post-Communist East Germany

Much research explores populist radical right parties’ (PRRP) gender values and anti-feminism; however, we know little about their voters’ gender values. What are PRRP voters’ gender values, how do they justify them, and how important are these values to them? Using thematic analysis of thirty semi-structured interviews conducted in Eastern Germany, I explore gender values of voters of the German PRRP Alternative für Deutschland (AfD). Eastern Germany constitutes an interesting context: First, it is where the AfD is most successful. Second, it has a post-communist legacy of working mothers and liberal abortion rights, which conflicts with the AfD’s stances. Preliminary findings show that interviewees endorse working mothers and hold mixed attitudes towards abortion, while holding conservative values on the nuclear family, binary sexes and their natural biological differences. While they do not favour legal limits on sexual freedom, they oppose “gender ideology” and feminist and LGBTQ+-rights activism. Some interviewees perceive discrimination of men and express misogynist views on women’s characters. The study contributes to understanding PRRP voters’ gender values and assessing the prevalence of anti-feminism in the post-communist German PRRP electorate, using unique interview data on PRRP voters.