Support for Radical Right-Wing Populist Parties, Gender Gap and Representation

Since the 1990s, there has been an increase in the electoral support for radical right-wing populist parties (RRPPs) in Europe and the United States. This has led to a greater interest in analyzing the reasons for this support. Several studies have shown that RRPPs tend to receive more support from men than from women (Harteveld e Ivarsflaten, 2016; Oshri et al., 2023). In Latin America, however, research on gender-focused voting has been scarce and fragmented (Morgan, 2015; Torres, 2020; Tagina, 2023). In particular, the existence of a gender gap around RRPPs has not been systematically analyzed using explanatory techniques. In Argentina, for example, the 2023 presidential elections saw the election of Javier Milei, the leader of the paleo-libertarian and anarcho-capitalist party La Libertad Avanza (LLA). While various research studies have explored the factors influencing votes for Milei (Vommaro, 2023; Stefanoni, 2023; Delle Donne, 2023; Semán, 2023; Annunziata, R. Ariza, A. March, V. y Torres, S. 2024; Gonzales y Vommaro, 2023; Peruzzotti, 2023; ESCODE, 2023; García Beaudoux, 2023; Murillo y Oliveros 2024) and observed a difference in support according to gender, given that Milei receives support from young men (Pomares y Zapata, 2023; Tagina 2024), this has been done using a purely descriptive approach. There are currently no academic studies based on systematic survey data that confirm this profile or delve into the reasons for the gender-based difference in support. In this paper, we ask: what causes lower female support for the radical right, and how do political proposals influence this differential behavior? Our hypothesis is that ideological differences between women and men in voting for PPDR, based on their attitudes towards gender roles, the labour market, the role of the State in the economy, female leadership, LGBTIQ+ rights, and climate change influence how women and men vote for PPDRs. We will use data from national surveys conducted in 2023 by the Comparative National Elections Project (CNEP) and the Comparative Studies of Electoral Systems (CSES) to analyze voting for voting for Javier Milei. Logistic and multinomial regression models will be applied.