Women, Minorities, Populism

This paper challenges the notion of populism and minorities from the viewpoint of gender relations. Yet the first general query is: could women be merely considered like a minority? And, in particular, can practices of political mobilization and women’s grassroots participation be considered forms of populism? And finally, is there any connection between populism and gender? This paper aims to answer these questions, arguing that women cannot be fully identified with a minority group because from a quantitative perspective they cover at least half of the entire world population and from a qualitative viewpoint they may belong to variegate target groups (based on cultural, social, religious, ethnic differences), which are intersectionally dealing with overlapping issues and struggles. Yet recent political trends in Europe have shown the emerging of female populist leaders, who assume populist futures and reinterpret gender-based arguments, identifying woman’s reproductive body as a “protective mother” who fights not only against the foreigners but also against corrupt male elites.