‘ǂGender ideology’ as the master frame : transversal instrumentalization of equality politics by mechanisms of regularity

Pajnik, Mojca (author), Kuhar, Roman (author), Smrdelj, Rok (author)

To comprehend the functioning of ‘gender ideology’, numerous approaches that unpack and investigate its role in current anti-gender mobilizations have been proposed. However, despite acknowledging the discursive aspects of ‘gender ideology’, a gap persists in scrutinizing the internal structure of its discourse,distinct from the perspective focusing predominantly on anti-gender actors andcoalition building among conservative and right-wing forces. Our research aims to contribute to these debates by delving deeper into the internal structuring of anti-gender discourse, using the conceptual perspective of framing. Undertaking the analysis of ‘frame repertoires’ we point to the regularity in frame composition in the structure of ‘gender ideology’ as the master frame of anti-gender discourse. We identified four mechanisms of regularity, i.e. blending, simplifying, time-shifting,and relabelling which reveal how these structured discursive blocks traverse different topics and distort gender equality claims. Notably, our theoretical perspective proposes that the master frame of ‘gender ideology’ encompasses diverse themes, issues, and areas not because it is an ‘empty signifier’, but rather because it is built on a solid and regular structure that allows it to remain consistent across different themes. As such, it functions as a neoconservative symbolic violence.

• Language: English
• Keywords: gender ideology, framing, regularity, transversality, symbolic violence
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FF - Faculty of Arts
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Publication date: 01.01.2026
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: Str. 1-18
• Numbering: Vol. , no.
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-178936
• UDC: 305
• ISSN on article: 1351-1610
• DOI: 10.1080/13511610.2026.2618082
• COBISS.SI-ID: 266949891
• Publication date in RUL: 02.02.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Innovation : the European journal of social science research
• Shortened title: Innovation Wien
• Publisher: Carfax Publishing Company
• ISSN: 1351-1610
• COBISS.SI-ID: 766797

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
• Description: The most restrictive Creative Commons license. This only allows people to download and share the work for no commercial gain and for no other purposes.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: ideologija spola, uokvirjanje, regularnost, transverzalnost, simbolno nasilje