Europeanization and the challenge of gender equality

Abstract

This chapter examines the benefits and limitations of European Union (EU) gender equality policy promotion in postcommunist Central-Eastern Europe (CEE) as it relates to the equality between women and men. While the EU accession processes have been beneficial to the introduction of new legislation and institutional mechanisms for the advancement of gender equality, scholars have been critical of the EU for not living up to its promises on gender equality. First, EU gender equality is defined quite narrowly, and gender equality-related laws are often not implemented on the ground. Second, EU requirements for national machineries to address gender equality were implemented in the early 2000s, but these machineries were very quickly marginalized or subsumed under other government institutions. Third, EU funding for women’s and feminist movements provided some important assistance, especially for advocating for reforms during the accession process, but left many organizations unfunded. The most important factor that contributed to these limitations is the lack of interest in gender equality among the mainstream political elites in CEE countries.