Springe direkt zu Inhalt

Liberty for All, Except for Women: The Anti-Feminist Discourse of Javier Milei

Catalina Henríquez

Abstract: This study aims to understand the influence of anti-feminist discourse in far-right politicians and parties in Latin America, by focusing on the case of Javier Milei in Argentina. Previous literature has centered on Milei's discourse on libertarianism. However, this research centers on the perspective that the mobilization of far-right politicians and parties in the region has been firmly positioned against the newly achieved women's rights. Argentina's growth in women's rights, such as the legalization of abortion in 2020, was a big win in recent years for the Argentine feminist movements and organizations. Far-right policies and discourse aimed to roll back women's and gender rights. This cultural backlash against the gains of these women's rights is present in the case of Javier Milei. Hence, how has anti-feminism been articulated within Javier Milei's discourse? What is the narrative that Milei has established in the public sphere? Looking at these kinds of questions will further the understanding of Milei's discourse while governing. This research focuses on how Javier Milei articulates anti-feminism within his discourse through an analysis of TV interviews on Argentine mainstream media and local TV media. I argue that Javier Milei articulates an anti-feminist position against women’s rights by justifying it within his speech of libertarianism. Javier Milei articulates anti-feminism as a threat by framing it as cultural Marxism and the gender ideology of the previous Peronist governments.