Anti-democratic maneuvers and state feminism in Jordan: lessons for research in an autocratic context

This research note presents three lessons, drawn from the case of Jordan, for studying GEMs in autocratic countries. I discuss three interrelated points: (1) the relationship between state feminist institutions and “autocratic genderwashing” (Bjarnegård and Petterberg 2022); (2) the connections between GEMs and independent feminist movements; and (3) the enduring/emerging salience of “traditional family values” as an obstacle for gender equality pursuits. I argue that, while GEMs in autocratic contexts can advance gender equality measures, they are constrained by state power and interests. Moreover, rather than enhancing democratic performance, GEMs in illiberal states can become part of the autocratic playbook for sidestepping democratic reform. As such, the global research agenda on GEMs should include rigorous empirical analyses of how GEMs, democrats, and women’s rights activists work with (or against) authoritarian regimes, as well as analyses of how gender equality efforts might enable the entrenchment of autocratic power.