In December 2024, AWID, Alliance for Feminist Movements, Count Me In! consortium, Gender Funders CoLab, and Prospera will facilitate a day-long donor convening where bilateral and multilateral donors and private, family, and corporate foundations will gather to learn, share, connect and explore collaboration across institutions and thematic areas. Leading up to the convening, this article explores the essential role feminist movements play in defending democracy.

2024 marked the 18th consecutive year of declining global freedom and liberal democracy, and in 2023, 71% of the world’s population lived in autocracies. Beyond traditional dictatorships, the rise of right-wing populism and illiberal democracies is gaining momentum. Here are four reasons why investing in feminist movements is essential for regaining and maintaining healthy democracies.

Reason 1: Feminism offers a pivotal response to anti-democratic forces

Authoritarianism is sustained by multiple systems of injustice and cannot be addressed in isolation. Feminist and queer politics have a long history of breaking down the layers of power and analysing oppression with an intersectional lens. This exposes the connections between authoritarianism and gender inequality, racism, xenophobia, economic inequality, ableism, religious and cultural fundamentalisms, and anti-climate action agendas. Feminist and queer movements have been vital in confronting these problems for decades, often raising the alarm on warning signs before anyone else.

Pushing back against large-scale deforestation and displacement of Indigenous people in Indonesia, claiming labour rights of domestic workers in Lebanon, advocating for the decriminalisation of sex work, and spreading information and encouraging critical thinking to fight gender-based violence in West Asia and North Africa – these are all examples of feminist movements pushing back against State-authorised and corporate violence and suppression, authoritarian and anti-gender narratives, laws, and policies.

Reason 2: Feminist movements have deep contextual knowledge

Feminist and queer movements are often led by people who endure multiple layers of oppression. These leaders usually propel the boldest change because their lived experience gives them deep contextual knowledge and clarity about the most effective solutions and strategies. They have a concrete stake in the outcomes of their work and ensure consistent engagement and follow-through. These are critically needed voices for defending democracy and opening civic space since they have the expertise and drive to affect change from both outside and inside decision-making spaces. Solutions often fall far short without their voice, collective organised power, and advocacy. This is what makes feminist movements so effective – they are locally rooted and globally connected.

Reason 3: Feminist movements have a long legacy of mobilising for democracy and accountable governments

A growing body of evidence indicates that feminist movements are crucial in strengthening democracy by tackling the structural causes of inequality and other forms of injustice. Over the last seven decades, the active leadership of women and queer people in mass movements has proven to be a significant asset for achieving both immediate successes and deep and lasting social change. Feminist movements’ demands for gender-just political and economic inclusion have been instrumental in catalysing democratic transitions and ensuring that mass movements are more likely to result in egalitarian democracies. They are vital in opposing militarism and creating conditions conducive to peace and security. For example, in countries like the DRC, Liberia, and Somalia, feminist movements have successfully pressured political parties to initiate or recommit to peace negotiations.

Reason 4: Authoritarian actors increasingly and successfully use ‘gender’ as a scapegoat

Authoritarianism and anti-gender ideology are deeply intertwined. Both are bolstered by curtailing civic space, suppressing dissent, and controlling media – including social media – and narratives. They frame progressive narratives and policies related to gender as the cause of social problems to divert the attention of the public from failures of governance. To serve their objectives, they portray non-‘traditional’ women and LGBTQIA+ people as threats and work to restrict their human rights. Recent examples of such rhetoric include claims that COVID-19, Human Papillomavirus (HPV), malaria and tetanus vaccines were designed to reduce African fertility and suggestions that US Presidential candidate Kamala Harris is not a suitable leader because she does not have biological children. Enormous financial resources have been flowing transnationally to these authoritarian actors for decades, ‘accelerating their influence worldwide, leading to the erosion of human rights frameworks and a growing trend toward authoritarianism.‘

On the other hand, resources for feminist movements are insufficient, scarce in comparison to anti-gender funding, and are declining further, regressing prior progress on gender equality. The feminist resourcing ecosystem, which provides movements with flexible, long-term support to enable success, needs a considerable infusion and long-term investment. The weaker feminist movements become, the easier it becomes for authoritarian States to exploit women, LGTBQIA+ and other structurally excluded communities for anti-democratic agendas – a colonial tactic of ‘divide-and-rule.’

Conclusions…

Authoritarian, right-wing populist movements are growing in strength worldwide, weakening democratic values and institutions, shrinking civic space, and strengthening oppressive systems. Feminist and queer movements bring invaluable insights and expertise on the nature of anti-democratic mobilisations and how to tackle them, with proven stories of success despite minimal resources. Feminists have built a feminist resourcing ecosystem as an act of resistance to directly fund and support groups who are fighting for their rights in oppressive, unsafe settings. Resourcing and strengthening these movements cannot wait.

“The question is: if we don’t invest in feminist movements, what are we risking?” – Anisha Chugh (Executive Director, Women’s Fund Asia), (source). 

Faye Macheke and Inna Michaeli are the Co-Executive Directors of AWID.

Anuradha Chatterji and Geetanjali Misra are the Executive Directors of CREA.

Shereen Essof is the Executive Director of Just Associates.

Happy Mwende Kinyili and Saranel Benjamin are the Co-Executive Directors of Mama Cash.

Ndana Bofu-Tawamba is the Executive Director of  Urgent Action Fund-Africa.

Kate Kroeger is the Executive Director of Urgent Action Fund for Feminist Activism.

Count Me In! Consortium consists of these six core member organisations.