Gender Mainstreaming in Mercosur and Mercosur-EU Trade Relations

Abstract

This chapter analyses to what extent and how gender has been addressed by Mercosur and in EU-Mercosur interregional relations in order to contribute to the discussion on the relevance of the (inter) regional level in the dynamics of norm diffusion and norm travelling in a multilevel process of governance, addressed in this book. Given the EU’s commitment to gender, and its self-promotion as a normative power (see Chapter 3), one would expect that the EU exports gender norms to Mercosur in their biregional relations. This chapter, however, argues that the EU only plays a marginal role in the promotion of gender equality in Mercosur. Instead, the mobilization of regional women’s movements and changes in government orientation in Mercosur member states since 2003 are more relevant factors. Gender is not prominent in EU foreign policy and development policy towards Mercosur. The process of trade liberalization, one of the central objectives of their interregional relations, is even assessed as having a potential negative impact on gender, and the EU-Mercosur trade policy has not been gender-mainstreamed. First, the chapter analyses the process of institutionalization of gender in Mercosur, assessing the role played by domestic and international actors. Next, it explores how gender has been addressed in EU development policies towards Mercosur.