Menshawy, Mustafa (2026) Beautiful authoritarianism : Contributions of the leader’s wife in Egypt and Jordan. Third World Quarterly. ISSN 0143-6597
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
Authoritarian leaders constantly search for allies to harness their strategies for maintaining their hold on power such as repression, legitimation or co-optation. In this article I argue that the wife of a leader is one key ally contributing to implementing these strategies as she uniquely occupies two positions; she is a woman who aims to control other women for strategic reasons by claiming to represent them as part of performing ‘hegemonic femininity’, while also being a political actor like any other member of the ‘ruling coalition’. She can tighten the grip on key sectors such as civil society and secure external support by making the regime look good and democratic. The analysis proves these claims by examining the examples of first ladies in both Egypt and Jordan.