The Evolving Politics of Gender Equality within the EU

William Sørensen, European University Institute

This paper traces and examines the historical and dynamic evolution of gender equality as a concept mobilized in politics within the European Union (EU), focusing on developments since the 1970s. While most mainstream institutions of power (e.g., national governments or the European Commission) in the region have adopted gender equality as a normative goal, the process has been far from uniform, as the meaning of “gender equality” has evolved into various interpretations and applications within different institutional frameworks. This also includes the co-optation of gender equality as a legitimizing framework for advancing other political and ideological agendas. The presentation explores and compares different ways in which gender equality as a norm has been institutionalized in the region, with a particular focus on how variation relates to institutional contexts.

No extended abstract or paper available

 Presented in Session 181. Histories of Gender Equality Action: Frameworks, Legibility, and Power