Part 3: Gender equality and public policy

The articles in this collection analyze some of the policy areas that feminist scholars consider most critical for advancing gender equality: violence against women, reproductive rights, paid and unpaid care, and gender mainstreaming. 

First, Michael Giesen analyzes how actors framed the Istanbul Convention, the Council of Europe’s treaty aimed at combating violence against women. By combining two different methodologies for frame analysis, Giesen shows how actors establish connections between policy problems and policy solutions and knowledge. 

Second, Kate Hunt and Amanda Friesen present a case study of the 2018 Irish referendum to legalize abortion. Hunt and Friesen demonstrate the importance of conducting gender scholarship that accounts for men and masculinities, finding that both pro- and anti-abortion campaigners tried to sway men’s votes by using appeals to hegemonic masculinity. 

Third, Rossella Ciccia and Diane Sainsbury provide a must-read review covering decades of scholarship on the welfare state. Among other contributions, they show the importance of an intersectional lens, as underpaid carework in advanced democracies is often carried out by immigrant women and/or ethnic minority women, who frequently find themselves unable to fully benefit from the welfare regimes of their host or home countries.

Fourth, Rachel Minto, Lut Mergaert and Maria Bustelo offer another must-read review on the development and implementation of gender mainstreaming. Performing content analysis of European Union policy documents over time, they identify key weaknesses and inconsistencies in gender mainstreaming mandates, instructions, and evaluations. 

Explore the other themes in the EJPG Student Reading List

Gender and International Relations

LGBTQIA+ politics and policies

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