European integration as a gender mainstreaming strategy: the case of East-Central Europe

Barbara Gaweda

Chapter 28 in Research Handbook on Gender Mainstreaming, 2026, pp 376-387 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: After the collapse of state socialism, the processes of European integration and Europeanization were an integral part of the political processes of democratization and a reference point for the political elites of East-Central Europe (ECE). However, in the course of the Europeanization processes in ECE, the acceptance of legal provisions on gender equality and gender mainstreaming did not involve much discussion. According to this understanding, gender equality was a part of the European ‘package.’ While European Union law was duly translated, adopted, and transposed into domestic law, and seemingly implemented, the soft values that were expected to diffuse in society and politics did not. Promoting gender equality in an undemocratic manner did not lead to change in social environments; rather, it yielded opposition to the new norms (cf. Rawłuszko, 2021). The chapter explores these dynamics and discusses the implications of the imposition of gender mainstreaming as a method of Europeanizing ECE.

Keywords: East-Central Europe; Europeanization; European Integration; Gender Mainstreaming (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035353415
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