Gendered Pathways into Right-Wing Populist Engagement: Explaining Female Support for and Membership in the AfD and FPÖ

Why do women actively join and organize within right-wing populist parties whose ideological commitments appear to contradict their interests? This paper investigates the motivations of female members of the Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ) and the Alternative for Germany (AfD) with original survey data from active female party members and complementary population-level evidence from a 2025 cross-national survey. For our analysis, we employ a conceptual framework based on three interconnected and mutually reinforcing dimensions: the perception of social and gender-related change as a threat to a valued way of life; the active embrace of traditional family roles as a source of symbolic recognition and social value; and the experience of belonging to a community that affirms rather than questions their identities and life choices. Our central argument is that the recognition received from the party community acts as a counterforce, motivating women to engage with the party despite societal headwinds. Our analysis reveals that anti-feminist attitudes among female party members are not isolated political positions but rather emerge from the interplay of these three dimensions. Preliminary findings indicate that women's engagement in the FPÖ and AfD is best understood as an active and meaningful political choice rooted in an integrated quest for order, dignity, and community.