The backlash against the backlash: socialist feminism & left politics in a time of reaction
By Diana O’Dwyer
After every crisis of capitalism comes protest and social upheaval - of a progressive or reactionary character. The 2008 crash was followed by a decade of progressive mass movements: Occupy, Black Lives Matter, feminist movements for abortion rights and against gender-based violence, and revolutions and near-revolutions like the Arab Spring. In Ireland, we saw mass movements against water charges, for marriage equality and abortion rights and progressive legislation on gender recognition. Just like in the ‘60s and early ‘70s, when the civil rights movement was followed by second-wave feminism, the gay rights movement, the movement against the Vietnam War and May ‘68, the mass movements of the 2010s sparked other mass movements.
Unfortunately, both waves of progressive mass protest were also followed by, first, a global economic crisis and then a conservative backlash. In the 1970s and ‘80s, this meant the oil crisis, Reagan, Thatcher and neoliberalism. In the 2020s, the Covid crisis accelerated a growing far-right backlash and ushered in a new phase of reaction across the world. If you were looking to pinpoint a date when the anti-feminist backlash took off, it would probably be Trump’s first election as US President in November 2016. A rapist running on an anti-choice platform, Trump promised to overturn Roe v. Wade. This ultimately happened in June 2022, shortly after the Depp vs. Heard trial sounded the death knell for #MeToo. Trump’s second Presidency has put the backlash into turbo drive. The most powerful man on earth is again a known rapist. DEI programmes have been decimated, reproductive rights are under attack and traditional gender roles are being forcibly reaffirmed.
““We all have friends, family members or co-workers who have lost their minds since Covid - their brains swamped by a never-ending flood of shit.””
The seeds of the backlash were already there pre-Covid, but lockdown isolated people from real life, and the algorithm enticed them into noxious online echo chambers. This created the perfect environment for a paranoid conspiracy theory pipeline, leading from Covid denialism and anti-vax propaganda to racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia. We all have friends, family members or co-workers who have lost their minds since Covid - their brains swamped by a never-ending flood of shit.
To paraphrase Marx and Engels, no matter how much progress we make under capitalism, short of a revolution, we cannot finally rid ourselves of the “muck of ages” - it will re-emerge in various forms until the whole rotten system is overthrown. This is painfully apparent in two of the main fronts in the current anti-feminist backlash - reproductive rights and the family - and gender-based violence.
Reproductive rights & the family
Historically, fascists were notorious for burning books. Now they want to burn contraceptives as well. It was reported in July[1] that the Trump administration had decided to incinerate nearly $10 million worth of contraceptives earmarked for USAID programmes in Africa. A State Department official referred to them as “certain abortifacient birth control commodities from terminated Biden-era USAID contracts” because the stocks included IUDs and emergency contraceptives[2]. This is connected to the dismantling of USAID - but the reason the Trump administration wanted to burn the contraceptives rather than sell them or give them away is clearly ideological. Blocked by laws in Belgium (where the contraceptives are stored) that prohibit incinerating reusable medical devices, the plan now seems to be to allow them to expire. Planned Parenthood estimates this will lead to 174,000 unintended pregnancies and 56,000 unsafe abortions.
This literal destruction of reproductive rights is going hand in hand with the rise of a reactionary pro-natalism - championed most notoriously by Elon Musk, the slayer of USAID, who has fathered fourteen children with at least four different women. Outside of Musk’s tech bro weirdness, pro-natalism is more usually associated with the valorisation of marriage, the traditional nuclear family and rigid gender roles. It is intrinsically bound up with racism; its raison d’etre is to avoid immigration - the only other way to grow the labour supply.
The “tradwife” phenomenon is part of this. Sophie Lewis[3] analyses it as an attempt to escape the “double shift” of paid and unpaid work. Women’s participation in the workforce has meant they end up doing two jobs instead of one, while their wages are swallowed up by housing and childcare costs. People cannot afford to have children until their 30s or 40s and so end up having fewer children or none at all. Parents, especially women, are exhausted by this double shift.
The far right’s response to this crisis of biological and social reproduction under capitalism is to blame it on feminism - just like they blame the housing and cost of living crisis on migrants. They say that a man’s wage used to be able to support the whole family. But now, because of feminism, everyone has to work. So it’s feminism that is destroying families, driving down birth rates and driving up the cost of housing because mortgages are now based on two incomes rather than one.
This narrative exploits a sense among some men that they are being brought down to the level of women or even below - for instance, through the decline of male manual labour and feminisation of professional jobs. Of course, this ignores the fact that women are still significantly poorer than men. The hourly gender pay gap is around ten per cent but the lifetime earnings gap is much wider; women take more time out of the workforce for childcare and are more likely to work part-time. Women also do twice as much housework as men, even when both are working full-time.
Men’s loss of privilege is in no way absolute; it’s just less than it used to be. This sense by men of a loss of privilege relative to women and a desire to reassert that privilege is fuelling the rise of the far right - just like a loss, or perceived loss, of relative superiority among white people is fuelling racism. Right-wing demagogues fan the flames of this fratricidal resentment, identifying it as the perfect way to prevent working class solidarity against the billionaires they represent.
Richard Seymour writes that the “loss of distinction” is experienced by the supporters of the far right as a massive impoverishment, “tantamount to the downfall of civilization”[4]. Women or black and brown people doing less badly than white men than they used to might not sound like a good enough reason to burn things down. So conspiracy theories like the “Great Replacement” are required to link it all into one great big imaginary disaster. That’s why the language of the far right is so ludicrously apocalyptic.
The politics of gender-based violence
Lurking barely below the surface of the backlash is the threat of violence. The far right cynically exploits increased concern about gender-based violence to justify pogroms against “military-aged” foreign men. Yet those involved are often perpetrators of violence against women themselves. Half of those arrested recently for racist rioting in the North of Ireland had previously been reported to the police for gender-based violence.[5]
Reported rates of gender-based violence are on the rise, too. This is partly due to greater awareness post-#MeToo, but the apparent proliferation of sexist attitudes since the 2010s suggests it’s also a real increase. Some studies have found worsening sexist attitudes among young men. For others, it's not so much that young men have become more sexist but that young women have become more progressive.
Research by Women’s Aid has found that 67% of young men hold, or don’t disagree with, traditionalist sexist attitudes about masculinity, compared to 40% of men overall.[6] This includes beliefs like: “men who don’t dominate in relationships aren’t real men”; “Men should use violence to get respect if necessary”; “A man’s worth is measured by power and control over others” and “Real men shouldn’t have to care about women’s opinions or feelings”. Feminists often point to the growth of the manosphere as increasing sexist attitudes among young men. A study by Dublin City University[7] found that within hours of setting up a social media account more than three-quarters of content recommended to 16-18 year old males on TikTok and YouTube was masculinist, anti-feminist or otherwise extremist. Big tech companies know that people watch extreme content for longer, which means they see more ads and buy more stuff. So the proliferation of the manosphere is directly driven by the attention economy big tech profits from.
Beyond the instinct to rubberneck, something else in the manosphere is appealing to young men. Women’s Aid describes influencers like Andrew Tate as “discuss[ing] themes around traditional masculinity, independence, and resilience”. Part of the reason this resonates is that the economics of late capitalism have robbed young men of autonomy and control over their own lives that would have been taken for granted in previous generations - for instance, being able to move out of their parents’ house. The average age for moving out of home is now 28.[8]
““The proliferation of the manosphere is directly driven by the attention economy big tech profits from.””
Men have also lost economic control over women. Increased female participation in the workforce has made women less financially dependent on men, which makes it harder for some men to form or maintain relationships. On top of this, women have more sexual freedom due to changes in attitudes towards sexuality. A Gallup poll last year found that 29% of Gen Z women in the US identified as LGBTQ+ compared to 11% of Gen Z men.[9] In this context, manosphere content around working out, physical and emotional strength and dominating over women may give men back a sense of control.
As with reproductive issues, the far right speaks to real issues and anxieties but provides reactionary, sexist solutions: restoring traditional gender roles, returning women to the home, using male violence supposedly to protect us, denying us economic and biological freedom. Instead of addressing real economic causes and providing affordable housing or public childcare, the far right’s “solution” is to restore distinction and division among the working class and leave the class system intact. Ours is to abolish both distinction and the class system by fighting oppression and exploitation at the same time. That is the only way to unite the working class and end the rule of capital.
The backlash to the backlash
After several years when the far right seemed to be growing almost unopposed, there is now a growing backlash to the backlash. In the last year, we have seen renewed movements on gender-based violence, including protests in support of Nikita Hand, marches of thousands on International Women’s Day and smaller marches against the manosphere to the headquarters of social media companies. Women are also to the forefront in countering racism and in the Palestine solidarity movement, including through groups like Mothers against Genocide. An exit poll[10] from the General Election last November showed twice as many women as men voted for People Before Profit, with 7% of women voting for the Social Democrats compared to 4% of men.
We can also see signs of a backlash to the backlash in recent positive election results for the left in Ireland and internationally. Catherine Connolly won the Presidential election by the largest ever margin, running on a progressive left platform that opposed imperialism and war, championed the “meitheal”[11] and spoke out against the rise in anti-immigration sentiment as “misplaced” “anger…channelled to the wrong people.”[12]
Die Linke performed unexpectedly well in the German elections in February, running on an economically left, anti-far right platform[13] and outpolling Sahra Wagenknecht’s economically left but socially conservative BSW. Hundreds of thousands of people in Britain are signing up to join Your Party and the leftward-moving Greens. Zohran Mamdani has just won the New York mayoral election on a cost-of-living-focused left platform, which included universal free childcare as a core demand and defended trans people’s right to healthcare.[14] Rather than deciding “woke is dead” and throwing trans and racialised people under the bus, like some on the left have been tempted into doing, Mamdani’s success showed that it is possible to “bake in” socially progressive politics alongside a “bread and butter” left economic programme. Significantly, in addition to increasing turnout, he flipped 15% of Trump voters into supporting him.[15]
““Mamdani’s success showed that it is possible to “bake in” socially progressive politics alongside a “bread and butter” left economic programme.” ”
A notable feature of the backlash years has been a growing political gender divide internationally, from Ireland[16] to the US, Europe and South Korea. This can be seen as a problem for the left because we obviously need both men and women to succeed - especially in relation to the global ecological crisis. It’s also a massive opportunity: to recruit more women and redress the historic gender imbalance across most left activist organisations.
There are also reasons to be hopeful that the gender divide is more a case of young women politicised by a decade of feminist movements moving left, than it is of young men moving right; that young men have mostly been more apathetic than radicalised.[17] This is important because it means organisation and mobilisation can move young men leftward, like it has young women.
Mamdani’s election is interesting here, bucking the trend by attracting roughly equal support from women and men while also winning 81% of LGBTQ+ voters.[19] What unites all of these recent left electoral successes is a massive youth vote. Die Linke was the most popular party for 18-24 year olds[20], 62% of young voters under 30 chose Mamdani[21], and two-thirds chose Connolly[22]. After several years of almost uninterrupted gloom and a seemingly inexorable drift to the far right, there is reason to be hopeful again, if we keep on fighting.
This article was originally published in Issue 17 of Rupture Magazine. Get the print copy today or sign up for a subscription and get four issues a year delivered straight to your door.
Notes
1. Carter Sherman, “Trump Administration to Destroy Nearly $10m of Contraceptives for Women Overseas.” The Guardian, 18 July 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/18/trump-administration-destroy-contraceptives-usaid-africa
2. Lauren Kent, “Barred from Burning $9.7 Million in Birth Control Bought for USAID, the Trump Administration May Now Be Running down the Clock.” CNN, 26 October 2025. https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/26/europe/usaid-contraceptives-belgium-trump-intl.
3. Sophie Lewis, “Double-Shift: Dialectic of the Tradwife.” Dilettante Army, 26 April 2023. https://dilettantearmy.com/articles/double-shift-dialectic-of-the-tradwife.
4. Richard Seymour, Disaster Nationalism: The Downfall of Liberal Civilization. Verso Books, 2024.
5. Luke Butterly, “Almost half NI race rioters reported for domestic abuse”, The Detail, 7 August 2025.
6. Core Research and Women’s Aid. Evolving Manhood - Attitudes, Influence, and Well-Being Among Irish Men. 2024. https://www.womensaid.ie/app/uploads/2024/11/Evolving-Manhood-Core-Research-and-Womens-Aid.pdf.; Women’s Aid. “Women’s Aid at 50: New Research Shows Young Men Moving to the Right in Attitudes towards Women and Manhood, While Violence and Abuse Is a ‘fact of Life’ for Too Many Women.” Women’s Aid, 21 November 2024. https://www.womensaid.ie/get-informed/news-events/media-releases/womens-aid-at-50-new-research-shows-young-men-moving-to-the-right-in-attitudes-towards-women-and-manhood-while-violence-and-abuse-is-a-fact-of-life-for-too-many-women/.
7. Dr Catherine Baker, Debbie Ging, and Dr Maja Brandt Andreasen. Recommending Toxicity: The Role of Algorithmic Recommender Functions on YouTube Shorts and TikTok in Promoting Male Supremacist Influencers. DCU, 2024. https://antibullyingcentre.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DCU-Toxicity-Full-Report.pdf.
8. Caoimhe Gordon, “The Box-Room Generation: Figures Reveal Average Age in Ireland for Moving out of Family Home – and How Other EU States Compare.” Irish Independent, 30 September 2024. https://www.independent.ie/business/irish/the-box-room-generation-figures-reveal-average-age-in-ireland-for-moving-out-of-family-home-and-how-other-eu-states-compare/a1984219310.html.
9.Jeffrey M. Jones, “LGBTQ+ Identification in U.S. Now at 7.6%.” Gallup Inc., 13 March 2024. https://news.gallup.com/poll/611864/lgbtq-identification.aspx.
10. Mark Coughlan, “Charts Provide Key Insights into Exit Poll Data.” RTE.ie, 29 November 2024. https://www.rte.ie/news/primetime/2024/1129/1483866-the-exit-poll-three-key-charts-to-understand-the-initial-details/.
11. A traditional form of cooperative labour carried out among neighbours in rural areas.
12. RTE Morning Ireland debate, 17 October 2025.
13. Die Linke, ‘Kurzwahlprogramm’,https://www.die-linke.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Kurzwahlprogramm_Linke-BTW25_englisch_A4.pdf
14. Gillian Branstetter, “Democrats Can’t Blame Trans People for Their Own Failures”. The Nation, 7 November 2025. https://www.zohranfornyc.com/platform
15. Kabir Khanna, “The Voters Mamdani Added to the Democratic Coalition in New York: CBS News Analysis - CBS News.” CBS News, 11 November 2025. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cbs-news-analysis-the-voters-mamdani-added-to-the-democratic-coalition-in-new-york/.
16. Conor Little,“The Gender Divide in Young People’s Political Opinions in Ireland.” Irish Politics Forum, 13 January 2025. https://politicalreform.ie/2025/01/13/the-gender-divide-in-young-peoples-political-opinions-in-ireland/.
17. Lydia Saad, “U.S. Women Have Become More Liberal; Men Mostly Stable.” Inc, Gallup., 7 February 2024. https://news.gallup.com/poll/609914/women-become-liberal-men-mostly-stable.aspx; Cas Mudde, “The Real Story Isn’t Young Men Supposedly Voting Far Right. It’s What Young Women Are up to.” Opinion. The Guardian, 21 May 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/may/21/young-men-women-far-right-online-politics-centre-left; Sherman, “Young Women Are the Most Progressive Group in American History. Young Men Are Checked Out.” US News. The Guardian, 7 August 2024. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2024/aug/07/gen-z-voters-political-ideology-gender-gap.
18. Kiko Llaneras, Sebastián Casse, Daniele Grasso. “Who Voted for Mamdani? The New York Election in Seven Charts.” EL PAÍS English, 5 November 2025. https://english.elpais.com/usa/2025-11-05/who-voted-for-mamdani-the-new-york-election-in-seven-charts.html.
19. Matt Tracy, “Mamdani Dominated LGBTQ Vote in Mayoral Race, Exit Polls Show.” Gay City News, 5 November 2025. https://gaycitynews.com/mamdani-dominated-lgbtq-vote-mayoral-race/.
20. Lily Parsey, “Demographics Aren’t Destiny: A Look at the German Election Results.” ILCUK.org.uk, 12 March 2025. https://ilcuk.org.uk/german-election-results-2025/.
21. Kiko Llaneras, Sebastián Casse, Daniele Grasso. “Who Voted for Mamdani? The New York Election in Seven Charts.” EL PAÍS English, 5 November 2025. https://english.elpais.com/usa/2025-11-05/who-voted-for-mamdani-the-new-york-election-in-seven-charts.html.
22. Excluding undecideds or spoiled votes
Daniel Murray and Megan O’Brien, “Exclusive Red C Poll: Humphreys Humbled as Connolly Set for Commanding Presidential Victory.” The Business Post, 22 October 2025. https://www.businesspost.ie/politics/exclusive-red-c-poll-humphreys-humbled-as-connolly-set-for-commanding-presidential-victory/.