Far-Right Women in France: The Case of the National Front

Abstract

Examines women members & activists in the extreme right-wing Front National of France. It is demonstrated that women are a clear minority among the Front National electorate, leadership, & members. Women's action & ideology are demonstrated via description of the women's organization, Cercle national femmes d'Europe, & its desire to restore the natural order (ie, sexual, moral, familial, & national order) via the combination of the Front National propaganda tenets of "family preference" & "national preference." The motivations & political trajectories bringing women into the Front National are explored, highlighting some of the high-profile & intermediate leadership & activists. How women's role is conceptualized & manifested in the Front National is scrutinized, focusing on the patterns of their activism & the functions they serve. Women provide the party a positive public image while taking part in what they see as a familial countersociety, offering devoted, humble activism & legitimating public action through the private sphere. The management of tensions in the far Right as women's activism & ways of life contradict the party models promoted is addressed in conclusion. J. Zendejas