Strongwomen? Female Leaders in the Populist Radical Right in France and Italy

Abstract In 2022, Giorgia Meloni (Fratelli d’Italia-FdI) and Marine Le Pen (Rassemblement National-RN) achieved historically significant electoral results, cementing their position as female leaders of the populist radical right. This paper examines how these figures perform and frame gender-related issues, which is still an understudied topic. Through a qualitative discourse analysis of their TikTok and Twitter content, we argue that Meloni and Le Pen exemplify strongwomen, which we innovatively construct as an extension of the notion of strongmen, through the incorporation of hegemonic femininity, and stereotypical feminine elements. Indeed, Meloni and Le Pen balance stereotypical femininity—advocating for women’s rights and exhibiting a nurturing attitude—with the strongmen traits of toughness and assertiveness, displayed towards the promotion of the family and natality, restrictive reproductive rights, and racial and gender hierarchies typical of hegemonic femininity. Notably, Meloni and Le Pen, while being classified as strongwomen, show varying degrees of hostility towards abortion and LGBTQ+ rights, and differing levels of conflation of gender with nativism.