Global Activism in "Virtual Space": The European Women's Lobby in the Network of Transnational Women's NGOs on the Web

Abstract

Web sites are a part of the organizational practices of women's nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and thus a new source of data about their identities and responses to the structure of political opportunities. Using network analysis of Internet links between the Web sites of 30 transnational women's organizations and content analysis of all posted material on the sites, this article explores how the European Women's Lobby (EWL) positions itself among other transnational women's groups on the Web and communicates its identity electronically. We find that the EWL places itself less globally than it might, which reflects its intra-EU mandate. More than other sites, it avoids using the term “feminist” but frames women as active and organized and emphasizes agency, politics, law, and global sisterhood as themes. Compared with other sites, family and reproductive health are under-referenced, indicating areas marginalized by the economic terms of the EU mandate. We conclude that the Web presence of the EWL reflects a reasonable picture of the intersection of feminist concerns with the EU structure of opportunity, making Web sites a useful window into feminist practices.