Normative Power and Europeanization: The EU’s Global Agenda for Gender Equality

Oana-Andreea Ion (), Gabriela-Roxana Irod and Cristian Pîrvulescu
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Oana-Andreea Ion: Faculty of Political Sciences, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, 012104 Bucharest, Romania
Gabriela-Roxana Irod: Faculty of Political Sciences, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, 012104 Bucharest, Romania
Cristian Pîrvulescu: Faculty of Political Sciences, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, 012104 Bucharest, Romania

Societies, 2025, vol. 15, issue 8, 1-20

Abstract: This article explores how the European Union (EU) promotes gender equality beyond its borders, situating the analysis within broader debates on external Europeanization and normative power. While most studies have examined the domestic impact of EU policies, this paper focuses on how gender equality norms are projected internationally and conceptually investigates the mechanisms involved in their diffusion. Drawing on existing theoretical literature, the article analyzes how EU-level normative strategies may interact with domestic political, institutional, and societal dynamics in third countries, often in complex and contested ways. Rather than providing empirical testing, the study identifies core mechanisms—such as strategic communication, partnerships, and funding tools—and reflects on their limitations and the role of local agency in interpreting or resisting EU-promoted norms. The findings highlight the difficulty of isolating EU influence from other international and transnational drivers of norm diffusion, and the need for caution in attributing policy shifts solely to EU action. The article concludes that a better understanding of these processes requires more attention to domestic contexts, as well as future empirical research to complement conceptual analyses of Europeanization in sensitive policy domains such as gender equality.

Keywords: development cooperation; EU external action; Europeanization; gender equality; global governance; normative power; postfunctionalism; soft power (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A13 A14 P P0 P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 Z1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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