{"id":728,"date":"2026-04-22T22:16:25","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T22:16:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grants.ulbsibiu.ro\/ferbopo\/?p=728"},"modified":"2026-04-23T22:13:27","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T22:13:27","slug":"ferbopo-research-2026-women-democratic-backsliding-romania","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grants.ulbsibiu.ro\/ferbopo\/ferbopo-research-2026-women-democratic-backsliding-romania\/","title":{"rendered":"FERBOPO Research 2026: Women as agents of democratic backsliding: Diana Iovanovici-Sosoaca in Romania"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The FERBOPO project is pleased to highlight a new research publication examining the complex relationship between gender, political representation, and democratic processes published in Women’s Studies International Forum<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This study provides an in-depth analysis of the parliamentary discourse of Diana Iovanovici-\u0218o\u0219oac\u0103 during her mandate in the Romanian Senate (2020\u20132024). By examining 103 official declarations, the authors explore how political discourse can contribute to democratic backsliding<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The article offers an important contribution to scholarship on gender and politics by showing that women politicians can also act as agents of democratic backsliding. Most notably, the analysis highlights how \u0218o\u0219oac\u0103\u2019s discourse normalizes uncivic values, delegitimizes political opponents, and promotes narratives that undermine democratic norms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This publication aligns closely with FERBOPO\u2019s research agenda on state, institutions, and body politics<\/strong>, contributing to a deeper understanding of how gender intersects with political discourse and institutional dynamics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Article Details<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Article title: Women as agents of democratic backsliding: Diana Iovanovici-Sosoaca in Romania<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authors: Celina Ferent, Rodica Miena Zaharia, Lavinia Stan<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Year: 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Journal: Women’s Studies International Forum<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Link: Article<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Full Citation: <\/strong> Ferent, C., Zaharia, R.M. & Stan, L., 2026. Women on corporate boards in developed markets. Women’s Studies International Forum<\/em>, Volume 117<\/a>,\u00a0July\u2013August 2026, 103338. doi: https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.wsif.2026.103338<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Article Abstract<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Through a close examination of all 103 declarations delivered by Diana Ivanovici \u0218o\u0219oac\u0103 in the Romanian Senate during her mandate (2020\u20132024), this analysis complements scholarship on women’s representation and women agents of democratic backsliding by showing that a woman legislator promoted undemocratic values that facilitate backsliding. \u0218o\u0219oac\u0103 does so not through the bills she supported or rejected in Parliament, but through a discourse that normalizes uncivic values, delegitimizes her political rivals, and calls for civil disobedience and violent vigilante actions. Whereas other critics of democracy embrace a strident anti-gender and anti-feminist perspective, \u0218o\u0219oac\u0103’s declarations do not. Women are mentioned in these important official statements only when \u0218o\u0219oac\u0103 considers them useful to boost her own profile and undermine her political rivals, an instrumentalization that limits substantive representation and fuels backsliding.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The FERBOPO project is pleased to highlight a new research publication examining the complex relationship between gender, political representation, and democratic processes published in Women’s Studies International Forum. 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