Benevolent Resistance: A Persistent Challenge to Successful Gender Mainstreaming implementation of their duty to prevent discrimination and promote equality

Gender mainstreaming, defined as the integration of a gender equality perspective into all policies and at all levels, emerged as a key strategy for promoting equality in the 1990s. Theoretically rooted in feminist institutionalism, this approach recognizes the structural and systemic nature of gender inequalities embedded in political and organizational institutions. While the strategy aims to eliminate gender bias by transforming organizational processes and involving civil servants as central actors, persistent barriers have limited its effectiveness. In recent years, Norway, a global leader in gender equality, has taken steps to strengthen gender mainstreaming through the Equality and Anti-Discrimination (EAD) Act. This legislation requires public authorities to actively promote equality and prevent discrimination, introducing stricter reporting obligations and expanding the focus to include harassment, sexual violence, and intersectional discrimination. Despite these advancements, the practical implementation of gender mainstreaming remains inconsistent across Norwegian ministries. This article utilizes qualitative interviews with civil servants across all 16 Norwegian ministries to examine how they understand, implement, and assess their equality duties under the EAD Act. We identify significant variation in how ministries engage with gender mainstreaming, revealing three distinct forms of contestation: anti-bureaucracy, necessity contestations, and lack of pertinence. These contestations, while not hostile, reflect benevolent resistance that undermines effective implementation. Ministries often justify resistance by arguing that gender mainstreaming is unnecessary or inapplicable to their work. Our findings suggest that even in an equality-oriented context like Norway, the practical implementation of gender mainstreaming faces notable challenges. We analyze these forms of resistance and their implications for policy outcomes, contributing to the broader literature on feminist institutionalism and gender mainstreaming. By developing a typology of contestations, this study highlights the need for clearer conceptual frameworks, stronger institutional commitment, and enhanced capacity-building to overcome barriers and ensure the successful integration of gender perspectives into policymaking.