Chapter 10: Gender equality policy after the Polish accession to the EU: Transformation or obstinacy?

In 2007 the UK established a new single equalities body, to bring together the existing equality Commissions dealing with gender, disability, and race and ethnicity into a Commission for Equality and Human Rights. The promotion and enforcement of ‘equality and diversity’ is one of the three duties of the new body. This paper briefly explores diversity in relation to the theory of gender equality and also examines developments in policy at the EU level, which has provided much of the impetus for change. Our focus is on the policy approach and the tensions that the policy documents reveal about the emphasis on equality and diversity approach, in particular the extent to which attention to gender issues may get lost in the diversity bundle, and the extent to which a focus on the individual may be strengthened over the group.

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Economization of Expert Knowledge about Gender Equality in the European Union

Social Politics International Studies in Gender State & Society ◽

10.1093/sp/jxaa005 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Anna Elomäki

Keyword(s):

European Union ◽

Gender Equality ◽

Empirical Evidence ◽

Knowledge Production ◽

Expert Knowledge ◽

Economic Impacts ◽

The European Union ◽

Increasing Demand ◽

Gender Equality Policy ◽

The Eu

Abstract The article analyzes (i) how the increasing demand for empirical evidence about the economic impacts of gender equality transforms expert knowledge about gender equality in the European Union (EU) and (ii) the implications of these transformations. The article argues that the much-debated discursive economization of gender equality in the EU context is underpinned by the economization of expert knowledge about gender equality—the increasing reliance on mainstream economics to support gender equality claims. This has increased the influence of gender-biased economics knowledge and its modes of knowledge production in EU gender equality policy.

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Using the EU to Promote Gender Equality Policy in a Traditional Context: Reconciliation of Work and Family Life in Italy

The Europeanization of Gender Equality Policies ◽

10.1057/9780230355378_5 ◽

2012 ◽

pp. 99-120

Author(s):

Alessia Donà

Keyword(s):

Gender Equality ◽

Family Life ◽

Work And Family ◽

Promote Gender Equality ◽

Gender Equality Policy ◽

The Eu

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This Far, but No Further?

East European Politics and Societies and Cultures ◽

10.1177/0888325411429742 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 26 (2) ◽

pp. 362-379 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Andrea Spehar

Keyword(s):

Political Culture ◽

Gender Equality ◽

The European Union ◽

Women And Gender ◽

Gender Policy ◽

And Gender ◽

The Impact ◽

Gender Equality Policy ◽

The Eu ◽

Strong Contrast

The European Union (EU) is one of the world’s most important policy promoters for gender equality. This article examines the benefits and limitations of EU gender equality policy making in two Western Balkan countries, Croatia and FYR Macedonia. Besides analyzing specific gender policy developments that can be attributed to the EU, particular focus is put on the women’s movement activists’ perceptions of the impact that accession may have on women and gender equality. The study demonstrates that while the Croatian and Macedonian EU accession processes have been beneficial to the introduction of new gender legislation and institutional mechanisms for the advancement of gender equality, the EU gender strategy has also shown serious limitations. Among these—and perhaps the most fundamental—is the strong contrast between stated goals and their actual implementation. I argue that unless profound institutional changes as well as changes in political culture take place in Croatia and Macedonia, the poor compliance with EU gender equality norms and policies will be hard to overcome.

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