When democracies falter, women lose ground

Time of India

3 days ago

She is a tech entrepreneur, author, and relentless advocate for gender equality in STEM and beyond. Over the past 20 years, she had immersed herself in the fast-paced world of technology and AI, building innovative products and leading initiatives that challenge the status quo. LESS ... MORE
Why the rise of authoritarianism always drags misogyny along with it
Democracy is in trouble, and women are feeling it first. Across the world, democratic systems are eroding. So are the rights and freedoms of women and girls. This isn't coincidence. Wherever you see democratic backsliding, you're likely to find a parallel tightening of control over women's bodies, voices, and choices.
That's because democracy and gender equality have always been deeply intertwined. Strong democracies tend to support personal autonomy, freedom of expression, and the rule of law, all essential for women's rights to thrive. But when those structures crack, when civil liberties weaken, one of the first groups to be silenced is women.
Today, that's exactly what we're seeing.
A dangerous slide
The warning signs are impossible to ignore. Freedom House has tracked a decline in global freedom for 19 straight years as of 2024. In most of those years, more countries have moved toward authoritarianism than toward democracy. That decline doesn't just affect elections or parliaments; it bleeds into everyday life, particularly for women.
The SDG Gender Index reveals a bleak reality: out of 139 countries assessed, 91 were rated 'poor' or 'very poor' when it came to guaranteeing personal autonomy and freedom from discrimination. In short, most women around the world don't live in countries where their rights are truly protected. And where democratic norms collapse, those rights get even harder to claim.
This erosion of democratic space, through censorship, repression of civil society, and dismantling of independent institutions, creates fertile ground for inequality. For authoritarian leaders, restricting women's freedoms becomes part of the political strategy.
Why authoritarianism targets women
Strongman politics thrives on control, and controlling women is a powerful symbol of control. Many modern autocrats use gender regression as a tool to consolidate their power, often cloaked in appeals to 'traditional values' and cultural preservation.
This playbook is consistent across countries. In Russia, reproductive rights have been curtailed. In Brazil and the Philippines, anti-gender rhetoric has been amplified. In Hungary and Poland, LGBTQ+ rights and abortion access have been aggressively rolled back. In each case, the government positioned itself as a defender of heritage and family while pushing women and minorities to the margins.
This isn't a coincidence, it's a tactic. When leaders invoke nationalism and patriarchal norms, they rally conservative support and legitimise crackdowns on dissent. Feminists and gender rights activists become easy targets, painted as agents of 'foreign influence' or cultural decay. In captured democracies where economic inequality is growing, as the Equal Measures 2030 coalition notes, women often lose the most. Budgets and policies become increasingly skewed toward elite interests, and women's needs are sidelined.
At the same time, right-wing populism has resurrected old resentments. Women's gains are framed not as progress, but as threats, fuel for backlash among those who feel left behind. The result? A surge in anti-feminist sentiment and growing normalisation of misogyny.
How the crisis plays out
There are three key ways in which the decline of democracy chips away at gender equality:
Civic space is closing
Women's rights groups, NGOs, and grassroots movements are finding it harder to operate. New laws restrict public protests. Independent media faces censorship. Activists risk intimidation, arrests, or worse. In such environments, feminist voices don't just struggle; they're actively suppressed.
The SDG Gender Index's poor ratings on freedom from discrimination reflect this shrinking space. When civil society can't function freely, it's women who lose their megaphone.
Misinformation and polarisation fuel hate
The internet, once seen as a space for connection, has also become a weaponised arena. Misogynistic abuse, false narratives about women leaders, and doctored content targeting activists, it's all part of the modern authoritarian arsenal.
These campaigns aren't just cruel; they're strategic. They undermine women's credibility, push them out of public discourse, and recast gender equality as a 'controversial' or 'political' issue rather than a basic right.
Polarised societies lose sight of shared values. Gender equality, once a bipartisan goal, is now treated like a partisan threat.
Justice systems are being hollowed out
Even where protective laws exist, they're often not enforced. In many backsliding democracies, courts are politicised, corruption is rampant, and patriarchal interpretations dominate. Survivors of domestic violence, rape, or discrimination frequently find no justice.
Sometimes, the legal system itself becomes a tool of oppression. Women's testimonies are disbelieved. Progressive judgments are overturned. Judges are appointed not for fairness but for loyalty to the ruling regime.
Real-world consequences
The impact isn't abstract; it's painfully visible.
In Poland, a conservative government's grip on power has led to some of Europe's strictest abortion laws. In Hungary, the government has banned gender studies programs and refuses to legally recognise transgender people. In Myanmar, the military coup of 2021 didn't just erase democratic progress; it directly increased risks for women, from displacement to sexual violence, while systematically excluding them from peace-building efforts.
Even in established democracies, the warning signs are there. The attempted overturning of a US election was accompanied by rising extremism, including groups espousing open misogyny.
The pattern is clear: wherever democracy crumbles, women's rights come under attack.
But women aren't staying silent
Despite the risks, women are rising up.
We've seen it in Belarus, where women marched with flowers and courage against a dictator. In Sudan, where young women were instrumental in toppling a military regime. In Myanmar and Thailand, where mothers protested side-by-side with students, demanding an end to violence and injustice.
Women journalists, lawyers, doctors, and human rights defenders around the world are keeping civic space alive, often at great personal cost.
Their fight is a reminder: democracy isn't something we inherit. It's something we defend every day.
Democracy is a feminist issue
If democracy is about representation, then it cannot exist without women's voices. If it's about justice, it cannot function without gender justice. If it's about freedom, it cannot survive if half the population is controlled.
To push back against authoritarianism, we need to:
Ensure equal representation at every level of government, from panchayats to parliaments.
Protect the right to protest and organise, especially for feminist movements.
Challenge false narratives that weaponise culture against gender equality.
Hold governments accountable when they suppress dissent under the guise of 'security' or 'tradition.'
Tie international support and funding
to concrete progress on human rights, especially gender inclusion.
As Freedom House says, the defence of democracy is a collective effort. And women are at the frontlines of that defence.
The fight is one and the same
Let's be clear: women's rights cannot survive in an authoritarian system. And democracy cannot be meaningful if it excludes half the population. The battle for equality and the battle for democratic values are not parallel struggles; they are the same fight.
A society that empowers women is a society that defends liberty. And one that upholds liberty must also champion gender equality.
By saving democracy, we save women's futures.
And by advancing women's voices, we might just save democracy itself.
Coming up next:
Political freedom is only part of the story. Across the globe, from living rooms to war zones, women face another daily threat: violence. In our next article, we'll explore the 'shadow pandemic' of gender-based violence and how authoritarianism and patriarchy keep it alive.
Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer
Views expressed above are the author's own.