Women and political participation and mobilization in the EU : still a gender gap?

Abstract

Gender equality is a fundamental value of the European Union and is considered vital to its economic and socio-political growth. However recent data from the European Institute for Gender Inequality (EIGE) shows that with an average score of 54 (where 1 stands for absolute gender inequality and 100 for full gender equality) the European Union is only halfway towards a gender equal society. This panel will discuss the extent and the causes of the gender gap in one specific dimension: political and social participation in Europe. The economic crisis and the increased preoccupation with the security of the union appear to be putting men and women back in their place. It is a good moment therefore to rethink and re-evaluate the merits and pitfalls of women’s participation in the EU, both in its conventional form, that is their voting behavior, their participation in political parties, and as candidates in elections; and their nonconventional form, through the participation in protests, social movements, civil society organizations and lobbying at the EU level.