Ebru Ertuğrul and Itır Bağdadi examined gender equality policy processes in opposition-controlled municipalities in Turkey, facing a national government with an anti-gender equality stance in an authoritarian populist context. Using interviews and document analysis, it identifies four factors influencing these policies and argues that political party ideology and mayors’ individual views shape opportunities for gender mainstreaming, where gender experts are crucial. While gender mainstreaming enhances policy capacity, raises gender awareness, and can shift politicians’ electoral views, adversarial intergovernmental relations limit transformative actions, though these may hold potential for future feminist politicization.