Pauline Hanson and her party One Nation have been dominating headlines after their recent electoral successes in South Australia and Farrer. A new national opinion poll has One Nation’s primary vote at 31% – up from 7% just two years ago.

Not only are growing numbers of Australian voters openly expressing their support for One Nation, but the party, and its leader, are doing particularly well among Australian women.

According to an April study by RedBridge and Accent Research, Pauline Hanson is now the most popular party leader among women voters – ahead of the prime minister. And One Nation is their leading first-preference party.

That this is happening to a far-right party might raise some eyebrows. Far-right parties have traditionally been considered “men’s parties”: first, because men tend to be predominant among their voters, grassroots and elected politicians; and second, because their image and political agendas are seen as very masculine.

Yet, in Australia, where women rarely lead parties of any kind, Pauline Hanson has led hers for decades, and One Nation is mobilising women voters. This might look like an anomaly, but it isn’t.

Women leading ‘men’s parties’

In fact, Hanson is part of a small but substantial group of women who have led or currently lead far-right parties, including Marine Le Pen in France,........

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