Anti-feminism

Anti-feminism is fundamentally about opposition to gender equality, rooted in the belief that biological traits place women and men in so-called natural positions within the family and society. In this worldview, women are subordinate to men, with their primary role being to bear children and sustain the population. As such, women’s political and economic equality is seen as a threat to the nation’s existence. Women who advocate for gender equality are regarded by the most extreme as traitors and, therefore, legitimate targets for violence.

Anti-feminism is prominently featured in Breivik’s manifesto. He argues that women are taking over power in society by occupying positions he believes should be reserved for men. Furthermore, he claims that equality has weakened men, leading to an inability to prevent a supposed Islamic takeover of Norway. Breivik advocates for strict control of women’s bodies and sexuality, calling for women to leave public roles and return to domestic duties. In the civil war he envisioned—and sought to escalate—women were targeted. His goal was to restore what he referred to as the natural gender order and implement controlled reproduction of white children. Breivik even outlined a society entirely without women, proposing that artificial wombs could replace their reproductive role. This underscores how not only opposition to equality but also misogyny forms part of Breivik’s far-right ideology.

The American researcher Cynthia Miller-Idriss has recently shown that a significant majority of far-right terrorists in the United States had a history of harassment, violence, sexual violence, or murder of women prior to committing acts of terrorism. This aspect of far-right ideology may not be as widely known as others.

Sources

• Jegerstedt, K. (2012) Frykten for det feminine: kjønnssymbolikk og misogyni i Behring Breiviks «manifest». I Østerud, S. (Red.), 22. JULI – FORSTÅ, FORKLARE, FOREBYGGE. Abstrakt.
• Salomonsen, J. (2013) Kristendom, paganisme og kvinnefiendskap. I Jupskås, A. R. (Red.) Akademiske perspektiver på 22. juli. Akademika.
• Simonsen, M. (2011) De fortapte menn, Dagbladet.
• Økland, J. (2013) Feminismen, tradisjonen og forventning. I Jupskås, A. R. (Red.) Akademiske perspektiver på 22. juli. Akademika.
• Miller-Idriss, C. (2025) Just Grab the Bitch: How Misogyny Fuels Mass Violence. I Princeton University Press.