Men’s parties with women leaders:A comparative study of the right-wing populist leaders Pia Kjærsgaard, Marine Le Pen and Siv Jensen

This chapter addresses how gender is constructed in terms of style, rhetoric, discursive strategies and agenda positions in the case of the three established populist leaders: Pia Kjærsgaard, Marine Le Pen and Siv Jensen. In addition, we explore whether the Nordic countries constitute a sui generis framework supporting specific representations, gender constructions and self-representation of populist female leaders, which are influenced by context, opportunity, political culture and mainstream media constructions of repertoires of women politicians. The case studies thus focus particularly on similarities and differences in the representation and self-representations of these three right-wing populist women leaders. Based on a theoretical framework outlined by the role of women in politics and by gendered constructions of female politicians, this chapter looks at: 1) how female populist leaders represent themselves; and 2) how mainstream media coverage represents them in politics. This dual emphasis creates the backdrop for a fruitful comparative analysis of right-wing populist women leaders’ representations and self-representations in Western Europe and allows us to address issues that refer to gendered representations and stereotypes of feminine and masculine nature and relationships to hegemonic masculinities in politics (e.g. Messerschmidt 2010). Based on a theoretical framework outlined by the role of women in politics and gendered constructions of female politicians, this chapter looks at: 1) how female populist leaders represent themselves; and 2) how mainstream media coverage represents them in politics. This dual emphasis creates the backdrop for a fruitful comparative analysis of right-wing populist women leaders’ representations and self-representations in Western Europe and allows us to address issues that refer to gendered representations and stereotypes of feminine and masculine nature and relationships to hegemonic masculinities in politics (e.g. Messerschmidt 2010).