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| author | Rachel Florence Tavani |
| title | French Women on the Right: Analyzing the Closing Gender Gap in Radical Right Electorates |
| abstract | Populist, radical, right-wing political parties (PRRPs) have been overwhelmingly supported by men. However, the
electorate of PRRPs has been transforming in recent years, with women voting for the radical right more than ever before. This increase in female support
for PRRPs is following the international rise of radical ideology across the Western world. Not only have these parties received unprecedented levels of
female support, they have been gaining high levels of electoral success. One of the most notable examples of PRRP electoral success is the National Front
of France (FN). Under the leadership of Marine Le Pen, the FN has become a third-party contender in French politics. Utilizing anti-immigrant and
anti-globalization sentiments while softening their rhetoric, these parties are accessing voters who typically would not cast their ballots for PRRPs.
Through a case study of the National Front, a rise in female support for PRRPs can be seen, specifically in the past four French presidential elections.
The 2017 French presidential elections saw this international rise in radicalism climax as Marine Le Pen ran against Emmanuel Macron, the leader of the
newly established En Marche party. The entire world looked to France to see the results of the historic election and rejoiced when Macron won. However,
attention should be paid to the closing of the gender gap in radical right voting, for Marine Le Pen finished the second round of the presidential election
with the largest amount of support the party has ever seen, with more women voting for the party than men for the first time. Therefore, analyzing the
factors and predictors that helped close the gender gap in the FN electoral is necessary to determine the consequences increased female supporters will
have on the success of all PRRPs. |
| school | The College of Liberal Arts, Drew University |
| degree | B.A. (2017) |
| advisor | Carlos Yordan |
| committee | Jason Jordan
Marie-Pascale Pieretti |
| full text | RFTavani.pdf |
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