Institutionalizing Gender Mainstreaming in Italian Universities: Actors, Tools, and Contradictions

This paper explores the institutionalization of gender policies in the Italian academic context, as a multilevel governance process shaped by European Union directives and national legal frameworks, focusing on recent changes such as the introduction of Gender Equality Plans and the implementation of Gender Budgets. These instruments, recently revitalized by European Union directives and the Horizon Europe funding framework, represent a shift from episodic equality initiatives to structured governance tools. Methodologically, the study combines a national mapping of all public and state-recognized universities with an in-depth case study of the University of Genoa. The mapping, based on a systematic analysis of official documents, assesses the diffusion, continuity and consolidation of gender mainstreaming tools, while the case study reconstructs the actors, organizational dynamics and governance mechanisms involved in the production and coordination of gender equality policies. Findings show that while 87% of Italian universities have adopted a GEP and 78% a GB, the level of institutionalization remains uneven and often compliance-driven. The University of Genoa case-study explores how these instruments interact with pre-existing equality mechanisms and organizational structures. The case highlights how the creation of a permanent interdisciplinary team and the embedding of gender equality actions within strategic planning may mark a step toward deeper institutionalization. Yet persistent challenges remain: the technocratization of gender policies, the coexistence of overlapping committees and fragmented responsibilities, and the limited capacity of gender budgets to incorporate financial analysis all weaken transformative potential. We analyse whether these changes have led to a higher level of institutionalization of gender equality policies or whether the coexistence of fragmented regulations, policy instruments and equality bodies instead represents a weakness. At the same time, this case study serves as an exercise in academic self-reflexivity, illustrating both the progress made and the contradictions that persist in embedding gender mainstreaming principles within the university context.