This paper examines gender mainstreaming (GM) in the EU development policy to Tunisia, which is considered as a pilot country and a democratic transition laboratory of the whole region (North Africa).
The main objective is to analyse the way in which GM is included in the EU Development policy to Tunisia. In doing this, I will examine to which extent the GM integration is genuinely achieving its ultimate aim of transforming unequal gender relations in a strategic country characterised by its unique cultural and social background (Muslim country with the most modern legislation of Arab countries) and its geographical position, as well as by the fact that the country was the initiator of the “Arab Spring”.
The critical analysis of the GM integration in the EU development policy to Tunisia, from a feminist perspective, will be studied through a selection of strategic and methodological documents such as the “National Indicative Program”, “Country Strategic Paper” and other official EU documents produced after 2011 revolution. At the same time, interviews to the EU Delegation personnel involved in the post-revolution reformulation will provide information about whether and how gender perspective was integrated in the new documents and the democratic transition strategy to respond the demands of a new and emerging civil society.
This first section of the paper articulates the research investigation, justification, main objectives, research questions and the previous hypothesis.
The second section develops the theoretical frame which contextualizes and supports the analysis explaining some basic premises about gender mainstreaming and its different approaches, limitations and potential factors.
The third section explains the research methodology based in critical analysis of a specific case study through semi-structured interviews to key persons and content analysis of selected documents. Next, the research results will show the EU weakness to integrate GM in its development policy and to promote the democratic reforms in a context full of potential factors (opportunities) such as the democratic openness and an increase of financial resources by international donors. The research results will show how the EU has overlooked these opportunities that would have given the chance to integrate GM in the post-revolution EU development policy, into the national public policies and lastly, in establishing a more inclusive dialogue with an embryonic civil society and mature feminist movement.
The paper concludes with the hope that this study will serve to guide and promote, in first a place, a real integration of a transformative GM in the EU development policy and in a second place, to boost the EU role as promoter of possible national reforms which will enable the implementation of transformative GM in national policies breaking once for all with the artificial neutrality of public policies.
Although the EU and its operational offices (Delegation) have the willingness and the international commitment to integrate GM, the present paper shows that even having the political opportunity, the financial resources and the social demands, the EU has integrated the GM in a very limited way classified as integrationist, cosmetic/superficial and partially inclusive.
