Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.20901/pm.63.3.05
“Gender Ideology” as a Mobilization Frame: An Analysis of Interviews with Christian Right Actors in Croatia
Ivan Tranfić
; Institute for Social Research in Zagreb
Abstract
This article analyzes how Christian right actors in Croatia understand and use the concept of “gender ideology” as a framework for political mobilization. Drawing on the political sociology of social movements and interpretive political science, the paper examines the meanings that actors themselves attach to the concept, as well as its epistemological and political functions. The empirical analysis is based on 22 semi-structured interviews with key representatives of conservative associations, civic initiatives, and movement parties, collected between 2010 and 2020. The thematic analysis shows that “gender ideology” functions as a flexible and connecting signifier that primarily encompasses gender equality, reproductive rights, LGBTIQ+ policies, and sexual education, often mobilizing covert forms of homophobia and transphobia. The key finding of the paper is that the meaning of the concept systematically differs according to the position of the actors: while the movement elites articulate “gender ideology” as a coherent quasi-analytical framework, the operational base experiences it as a diffuse, affectively charged category of practice. This distinction facilitates both ideological coherence and broad mobilization of the movement.
Keywords
Anti-gender Movement; Social Movements; Interpretive Political Science; Framing; Christian Right; Gender Equality
Hrčak ID:
352503
URI
Publication date:
27.10.2026.
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