Thread by @docrussjackson

'#Neoliberal feminism is defined by individualism, choice, & agency; the “muting” of vocabularies to address structural solutions to gender inequality, & an identity packaged & styled as positive & desirable, but which lacks real substance or explanation.'
tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.10…

Under neoliberalism, 'feminism' has become a flattened “cheer word”, which, while holding “positive value… does not necessarily pose any kind of challenge to existing social relations”, aligns with the growth of “popular feminism”, & affords easy cultural & political capital.

We live in a country where Sexist in Chief, Boris Johnson, despite his long & very well-documented history of the most grotesquely misogynist writing, speech, cheating & other acts, can actually claim to be a feminist!

https://twitter.com/docrussjackson/status/1372489145659052034?s=20&t=m_hBLk-GnE-YK0hQ24RoBQ

The technique of claiming a feminist identity as an advantageous way to secure votes - especially from women - and contrast oneself to political rivals was also one adopted by Boris Johnson in his 2019 Conservative party leadership contest.

Johnson, along with eight of his fellow leadership contenders were quick to proclaim their feminist identities after rival Conservative MP Dominic Raab admitted in an interview that he was “probably not a feminist”.

Dominic Raab’s comments came as no surprise as he had previously claimed “feminists are some of the most obnoxious bigots” & that “men are getting a raw deal”, so Johnson embraced the term 'feminism', in what some critics derisively labelled “virtue signalling”.

Boris Johnson's opportunistic 'virtue signalling' - in this case of identifying as a feminist - may have been more salient in the British context in this time, as Johnson and other candidates looked to take over from self-identified feminist Prime Minister, Theresa May.

While Johnson did not take to social media to proclaim his 'feminist identity', his colleagues and supporters did, with many sharing supportive news articles via Twitter, such as this bullshit article in the Telegraph: “Why am I backing Boris? Because he’s a real feminist”.

Johnson's idea of feminism is as “a single magic bullet policy” that addresses many of the world’s problems. reflecting a neoliberal agenda of using gender to advance political goals & enhance market value rather than “ruffle feathers” or effect structural change.

Overall, it does not matter where a politician is positioned on the political spectrum—gendered political ideologies, goals and ambitions remain largely similar–suggesting that when it comes to gender inequalities, political divisions may not run that deep.

For example, when it comes to feminist ambitions—whether conservative (Boris) or progressive (Trudeau and Khan)—are driven by the market rationality of neoliberalism which validates the economic context.

The inclusion of women signals feminism - though this inclusion isn’t committed to interrogating sexist or racist structural ground, thus supporting the argument that #neoliberalism blurs differences in political agendas & strategies between progressive & conservative camps.

As feminism continues to experience an unprecedented “luminosity” in many nations around the world, we are increasingly likely to see neoliberal feminism play a major role in political campaigns.

This study provides a baseline snapshot of how #feminism has been conceptualized, & ultimately co-opted & flattened by politicians. We show that despite coming from differing political camps, Justin Trudeau, Sadiq Khan, & Boris Johnson invoked a similarly neoliberal feminism.

Analysis of 503 international mainstream news articles, Instagram feeds, & selected Tweets reveals how politicians reflect neoliberal feminism that is neither radical nor revolutionary, but primarily focused on redistributive inequalities & ideals of 'getting women at the table'.

While a neoliberal feminism, whose ambition to address “gender pay gaps” or achieve “gender-balanced cabinets” may be a successful political tactic to signify respect for women, it works in favour of the neoliberal agenda.

Neoliberal feminism is ultimately inadequate in the project of gender emancipation, failing to tackle the systemic/cultural devaluation of gender identity, capitalist dispossession, unwaged labour, & persistent violence against women.

The research reveals how self-identified male politicians engage with neoliberal, popular, & mainstream feminist rhetoric & action, & seem to get away with acquiring cultural & political capitals of acceptance, trust, & influence through adopting a (neoliberal) feminist label.

Despite the plethora of feminist ideologies & political thought, & the fact our politicians came from three different political parties, they articulated strikingly similar neoliberal feminist positions.

The politicians promote a feminism defined by a predominant focus on economic, educational, & political reform, rather than identity politics or cultural-valuation structures. In doing so they flatten out significant differences in the root cause & solutions to sexist oppression.

This flattening of feminism into a few digestible soundbites or liberal reforms appears to be an “easy win” for politicians, who are rarely or substantively held to account for the ways their actions or policies remove structural & intersectional barriers oppressing women.

More scholarly attention should be paid to how politicians around the world, from different political parties articulate or conceptualize their feminist identities, & we equally need to evaluate the extent to which their actions & policies dismantle or uphold patriarchal power.