Gender and European Integration. Theories, Policies and Methodologies

Abstract

In a European Union beset by crises from Brexit to the border crisis, and with the extreme right gaining ground across the EU, old debates have resurfaced about the nature of the processes of integration and of the EU itself. Understanding the process of European integration, from both a normative and an empirical standpoint, requires innovative approaches that reflect on the limitations of existing theories and practices. Such theories have been subject to considerable criticism from feminist EU studies scholarship, which consistently point out their gender-blind nature, and which has limited their capacity to explain the dynamics of integration. Gender influences the power dynamics stipulating which actors and interests are involved in decision-making, gender shapes how policies are implemented, and the gendered nature of the economy and society directly influences the outcomes of such decisions and policies. This means that understanding European integration requires understanding the gendered politics of the EU. Hence, this panel showcases these gendered dimensions in European integration focusing on different sites, institutions and actors of policy implementation and reflects on applied theories and methodologies from gender+, LGBTQI* and intersectional perspectives. The panel highlights how different policy fields intersect, from democratic decision making in the EU parliament concerning equality to economic governance post-crisis and LGBTQI* rights, and how these entanglements shape the future of the integration process.

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