Gender Mainstreaming and Employment in the European Union: A Review and Analysis of Theoretical and Policy Literatures*
Corresponding Author
Iris Rittenhofer
Aarhus University, Business and Social Sciences, Department of Business Communication, Fuglesangs Allé 4, 8210 Århus V, Denmark
email: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorCaroline Gatrell
Management School, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YX, UK
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Iris Rittenhofer
Aarhus University, Business and Social Sciences, Department of Business Communication, Fuglesangs Allé 4, 8210 Århus V, Denmark
email: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorCaroline Gatrell
Management School, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YX, UK
Search for more papers by this authorA free Teaching and Learning Guide to accompany this article is available at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1468-2370/homepage/teaching___learning_guides.htm.
We would like to thank EURAM's anonymous reviewers, the anonymous reviewers and editors of this special issue for their useful comments on earlier drafts of this review and Nick Wrigley and Ushma Chauhan Jacobsen for professional proofreading.
Abstract
Gender mainstreaming was introduced within the European Union (EU) in the 1990s as a means of addressing the unequal treatment of employed women. Yet its impact on organizational practices in Europe has been limited. This review synthesizes and analyses theoretical and policy literatures on gender mainstreaming within the EU between 1998 and 2011. It highlights ambiguities within gender mainstreaming literatures regarding whether gender mainstreaming is, first and foremost, a policy or a strategy. It further identifies ambiguities regarding how inequality should be articulated: in terms of the sameness or difference between women's and men's concerns, and in the context of whether gender mainstreaming research should be defined as focusing primarily on ‘women’ or on ‘gender’. The paper suggests that such ambiguity of definition within gender mainstreaming literatures compromises the implementation of gender mainstreaming within organizational practices. It further observes the need, within some gender mainstreaming theoretical and policy literatures, to move away from stable definitions of ‘male’ and ‘female’ (which identify women's and men's concerns as often in contrast) towards a more situated approach. The paper contributes to future gender mainstreaming research by proposing a more fluid, post-structural and sociocultural interpretation of ‘gender’. Drawing upon Judith Butler's research, it argues for the reconceptualizing of gender mainstreaming through a ‘Gender as performativity’ framework, in which gender is characterized as situational and performed in line with organizational expectations about women's and men's social roles.
References
- Anleu, S.R. (2006). Gendered bodies: between conformity and autonomy. In K. Davies, M. Evans and J. Lorber (eds), Handbook of Gender and Women's Studies. London: Sage, pp. 357–375.
10.4135/9781848608023.n21 Google Scholar
- Bacchi, C. (1996). The Politics of Affirmative Action: ‘Women’, Equality and Category Politics. London: Sage.
- Beck, T. (1999a). Using Gender-Sensitive Indicators. A Reference Manual for Governments and Other Stakeholders. London: Commonwealth Secretariat.
10.14217/9781848596832-en Google Scholar
- Beck, T. (1999b). A Quick Guide to Using Gender Sensitive Indicators. Gender Management System Series. London: The Commonwealth Secretariat.
10.14217/9781848596832-en Google Scholar
- Beck, U. and Beck-Gernsheim, E. (1995). The Normal Chaos of Love. Cambridge: Polity Press.
- Benschop, Y. and Doorewaard, H. (1998). Covered by equality: the gender subtext of organizations. Organization Studies, 19, pp. 787–806.
- Benschop, Y. and Verloo, M. (2006). Sisyphus' sisters: can Gender mainstreaming escape the genderedness of organizations? Journal of Gender Studies, 15, pp. 19–33.
- Beveridge, F. and Nott, S. (2002). Mainstreaming: a case for optimism and cynicism. Feminist Legal Studies, 10, pp. 299–311.
10.1023/A:1021288101039 Google Scholar
- Booth, C. and Bennett, C. (2002). Gender mainstreaming in the European Union. Towards new conception and practice of equal opportunities. European Journal of Women's Studies, 9, pp. 430–446.
- Broadbridge, A. and Hearn, J. (2008). Gender and management. New directions in research and continuing patterns in practice. British Journal of Management, 19, pp. 38–49.
- Burnett, S., Gatrell, C., Cooper, C.L. and Sparrow, P. (2010). Well balanced families: a gendered analysis of work–life balance policies and work–family practices. Gender in Management, An International Journal, 25, pp. 534–549.
10.1108/17542411011081356 Google Scholar
- Butler, J. (1993). Bodies That Matter: On the Discursive Limits of ‘Sex’. London: Routledge.
- Butler, J. (2004). Undoing Gender. New York: Routledge.
10.4324/9780203499627 Google Scholar
- Cavazza, S. (2002). Mainstreaming gender equality in a training institution: the case of the international training centre of the ILO. Management International Montréal, 7, pp. 89–92.
- Cockburn, C. (1989). Equal opportunities: the short and the long agenda. Industrial Relations Journal, 20, pp. 213–225.
10.1111/j.1468-2338.1989.tb00068.x Google Scholar
- Collinson, D. (2000). Strategies of resistance: power, knowledge and subjectivities in the workplace. In K. Grint (ed.), Work and Society, a Reader. Cambridge: Polity Press, pp. 163–198.
- Commission of the European Communities (1996). Incorporating Equal Opportunities for Women and Men into All Community Policies and Activities. Communication from the Commission COM (96) 67 final. Brussels: European Commission.
- Cooke, W. (2004). The managing of the (third) world. Organization, 11, pp. 603–629.
- A. Cornet, J. Laufer, G. Legault and C. Ross (eds) (2002). Thematic issue on gender mainstreaming. Management International Montréal, 7, pp. 33–40.
- Council of Europe (1998). Gender Mainstreaming. Conceptual Framework, Methodology and Presentation of Good Practices. Strasbourg: Council of Europe.
- Daly, M. (2005). Gender mainstreaming in theory and practice. Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State and Society, 12, pp. 433–450.
- Dyhouse, C. (2006). Students: a Gendered History. London: Routledge.
10.4324/9780203004289 Google Scholar
- Equal (2005). Guide on Gender Mainstreaming. Briefing Note no. 3, 10. Luxembourg: European Commission, Employment & Social Affairs Unit B1.
- European Commission (2003). Council decision on 22 July 2003/578/EC in guidelines for the employment policies of member states. Official Journal of the European Union, L197, 46, pp. 13–21.
- Eveline, J. (1994). The politics of advantage. Australian Feminist Studies, 9, pp. 129–154.
10.1080/08164649.1994.9994729 Google Scholar
- Eveline, J. and Bacchi, C. (2005). What are we mainstreaming when we mainstream gender? International Feminist Journal of Politics, 7, pp. 496–512.
10.1080/14616740500284417 Google Scholar
- Eveline, J., Bacchi, C. and Binns, J. (2009). Gender mainstreaming versus diversity mainstreaming: methodology as emancipatory politics. Gender, Work and Organization, 16, pp. 198–216.
- Featherstone, B. (2009). Contemporary Fathering: Theory, Policy and Practice. Bristol: Policy Press.
10.2307/j.ctt9qgn1s Google Scholar
- Frankson, J.R. (2000). A Quick Guide to Gender Mainstreaming in Information and Communications. Gender Management System Series. London: The Commonwealth Secretariat.
10.14217/9781848596917-en Google Scholar
- Gatrell, C. (2005). Hard Labour: the Sociology of Parenthood. Maidenhead: Open University Press.
- Gatrell, C. (2008). Embodying Women's Work. Maidenhead: Open University Press.
- Gatrell, C. (2011). Managing the maternal body. International Journal of Management Reviews, 13, pp. 97–112.
- Gatrell, C. and Cooper, C.L. (2008). Work–life balance: working for whom? European Journal of International Management, 2, pp. 71–86.
- Gatrell, C. and Swan, E. (2008). Gender and Diversity in Management. A Concise Introduction. Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
- Gherardi, S. (1994). The gender we think, the gender we do in everyday organizational life. Human Relations, 47, pp. 591–609.
- Grosser, K. and Moon, J. (2005). Gender mainstreaming and corporate social responsibility. Journal of Business Ethics, 62, pp. 327–340.
- Guerrina, R. (2005). Mothering the Union. Gender Politics in the EU. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
- Hakim, C. (2010). Feminist Myths and Magic Medicine: the Flawed Calls for Further Equality Legislation. London: Centre for Policy Studies.
- Hamilton, E. (2006). Whose story is it anyway? Narrative accounts of the roles of women in founding and establishing family businesses. International Small Business Journal, 23, pp. 1–16.
- Hankivsky, O. (2005). Gender vs. diversity mainstreaming: a preliminary examination of the role and transformative potential of feminist theory. Canadian Journal of Political Science, 38, pp. 977–1001.
- Hopfl, H. and Hornby Atkinson, P. (2000). The future of women's careers. In A. Collin and R. Young (eds), The Future of Career. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 130–143.
10.1017/CBO9780511520853.009 Google Scholar
- Howson, A. (2005). Embodying Gender. London: Sage.
10.4135/9781446218457 Google Scholar
- Jahan, R. (1995). The Elusive Agenda: Mainstreaming Women in Development. London: Zed Books.
- Jämstöd (2007). Gender Mainstreaming Manual. Swedish Government Official Reports SOU 2007:15. Stockholm: Edita Sverige AB, Available at: http://www.sweden.gov.se/content/1/c6/08/19/82/3532cd34.pdf (accessed 5 March 2012).
- Johnson, D. (1985). The development of social statistics and indicators on the status of women. Social Indicators Research, 16, pp. 231–261.
- Kossek, E., Baltes, B.B. and Matherws, A. (2011). Innovative ideas on how work–family research can have more impact. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 4, pp. 1–7.
- Krizsan, A. and Zentai, V. (2006). Gender equality policy or gender mainstreaming: the case of hungary. Policy Studies, 27, pp. 135–151.
10.1080/01442870600722912 Google Scholar
- Kumra, S. and Vinnicombe, S. (2008). A study of the promotion to partner process in a professional services firm: how women are disadvantaged. British Journal of Management, 1, pp. S65–S74.
- Leo-Rhynie, E. (1999). A Quick Guide to Mainstreaming in Education. Gender Management System Series. London: The Commonwealth Secretariat.
10.14217/9781848596870-en Google Scholar
- Mäkelä, L. (2005). Pregnancy and leader–follower dyadic relationships: a research agenda. Equal Opportunities International, 24, pp. 50–73.
10.1108/02610150510788079 Google Scholar
- Mäkelä, L. (2009). Representations of change within dyadic relations between leader and follower: discourses of pregnant followers. Leadership, 5, pp. 171–192.
- Maushart, S. (2002). Wifework: What Marriage Really Means for Women. London, Bloomsbury.
- Mazey, S. (2001). Gender Mainstreaming in the EU. Principles and Practice. London: European Research Centre, University of North London.
- McGregor, E. and Bazo, F. (2001). Gender Mainstreaming in Science and Technology. A Reference Manual for Governments and Other Stakeholders. London: The Commonwealth Secretariat.
10.14217/9781848597327-en Google Scholar
- Metcalfe, B.D. and Afanassieva, M. (2005). Gender, work and equal opportunities in central and eastern Europe. Women in Management Review, 20, pp. 397–411.
10.1108/09649420510616791 Google Scholar
- Metcalfe, B.D. and Woodhams, C. (2008). Critical perspectives in diversity and equality management. Gender in Management, 23, pp. 377–381.
10.1108/17542410810897508 Google Scholar
- Meyerson, D. and Kolb, D.M. (2000). Moving out of the ‘armchair’: developing a framework to bridge the gap between feminist theory and practice. Organization, 7, pp. 553–571.
- Moser, C. and Moser, A. (2005). Gender mainstreaming since Beijing. Gender and Development, 13, pp. 11–22.
10.1080/13552070512331332283 Google Scholar
- Mósesdóttir, L. and Thorbergsdóttir, B. (2004). European Policies Facilitating and Managing Change Towards the Knowledge Based Society and Gender Equality. Available at http://www.bifrost.is/files/Skra_0005517.pdf (accessed 5 March 2012).
- Muller, R. (2004). Time, narrative and organizational culture: a corporate perspective. TAMARA: Journal of Critical Postmodern Organization Science, 3, pp. 1–13.
- O'Brien, M. (2009). Fathers, parental leave policies and infant quality of life: international perspectives and policy impact. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 624, pp. 190–213.
- O'Regan-Tardu, L. (1999). A Quick Guide to Gender Mainstreaming in Trade and Industry. Gender Management System Series. London: The Commonwealth Secretariat.
10.14217/9781848596931-en Google Scholar
- Özbilgin, M.T., Beauregard, T.A., Tatli, A. and Bell, M.P. (2010). Work–life, diversity and intersectionality: a critical review and research agenda. International Journal of Management Reviews, 13, pp. 177–198.
- Perrons, D. (2005). Gender mainstreaming and gender equality in the new (market) economy; an analysis of contradictions. Social Politics, 12, pp. 389–411.
- Plantenga, J., Remery, C. and Rubery, J. (2007). Gender Mainstreaming of Employment Policies – a Comparative Review of Thirty European Countries. Luxembourg: European Commission, Office for Official Publications of the European Communities.
- Plum, E. (2008). Cultural Intelligence – the Art of Leading Cultural Complexity. Seattle, WA: MU Press.
- Pollack, M.A. and Hafner-Burton, E. (2000). Mainstreaming gender in the European Union. Journal of European Public Policy, 7, pp. 432–456.
- Poulsen, H. (2006). The elusive gender: the International Labour Organization and the construction of gender equality. Ph.D. thesis, University of Copenhagen.
- Puwar, N. (2004) Space Invaders: Race, Gender and Bodies out of Place. Oxford: Berg.
- Rees, T. (1998). Mainstreaming Equality in the European Union. London: Routledge.
- Rees, T. (2000). The learning region? Integrating gender equality into regional economic development. Policy and Politics, 28, pp. 179–191.
- Rees, T. (2005). Reflections on the uneven development of gender mainstreaming. special issue: comparative gender mainstreaming in a global area. International Feminist Journal of Politics, 7, pp. 555–575.
10.1080/14616740500284532 Google Scholar
- Rittenhofer, I. (2001). Voices past? The twitching and twisting bodies of gender. NORA: Nordic Journal of Women Studies, 9, pp. 182–190.
- Rubery, J. et al. (1998). Gender Mainstreaming in European Employment Policy. A Report by the European Commission's Group of Experts on Gender and Employment in the Framework of the Fourth Action Programme for Equal Opportunities for Women and Men. Manchester: Manchester School of Management, UMIST.
- Rubery, J. (2002). Gender mainstreaming and gender equality in the EU. The impact of the EU employment strategy. Industrial Relations Journal, 33, pp. 500–522.
10.1111/1468-2338.00250 Google Scholar
- Rubery, J. (2005). Reflections on gender mainstreaming. An example of feminist economics in action? Feminist Economics, 11, pp. 1–26.
- Rubery, J. and Fagan, C. (2000). Gender Impact Assessment and European Employment Strategy. Manchester: EWERC.
- Rubery, J. et al. (2005). How to close the gender pay gap in Europe: towards the gender mainstreaming of pay policy. Industrial Relations Journal, 36, pp. 184–213.
10.1111/j.1468-2338.2005.00353.x Google Scholar
- Schmidt, V. (2005). Gender Mainstreaming – an Innovation in Europe? The Institutionalization of Gender Mainstreaming in the European Commission. Opladen: Barbara Budrich.
- Sen, G. (1999). A Quick Guide to Gender Mainstreaming in Finance. Gender Management System Series. London: The Commonwealth Secretariat.
- Squires, J. (1999). Gender and Political Theory. Cambridge: Polity Press.
- Squires, J. (2005). Is mainstreaming transformative? Theorizing mainstreaming in the context of diversity and deliberation. Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State and Society, 12, pp. 366–388.
- Stead, V. and Elliott, C. (2009). Women's Leadership, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
10.1057/9780230246737 Google Scholar
- Stevens, I. and van Lamoen, I. (2001). Manual on Gender Mainstreaming at Universities. Equal Opportunities at Universities. Towards a Gender Mainstreaming Approach. Leuven: Garant-Uitgevers.
- Stratigaki, M. (2004). The co-optation of gender concepts in EU politics. The case of reconciliation of work and family. Social Politics, 11, pp. 30–56.
- Taylor, V. (1999). A Quick Guide to Gender Mainstreaming in Development Planning. Gender Management System Series. London: The Commonwealth Secretariat.
10.14217/9781848596818-en Google Scholar
- Tracy, S.J. and Rivera, K.D. (2010). Endorsing equity and applauding stay-at-home moms: how male voices on work–life reveal aversive sexism and flickers of transformation. Management Communication Quarterly, 24, pp. 3–43.
- True, J. and Mintrom, M. (2001). Transnational networks and policy diffusion: the case of gender mainstreaming. International Studies Quarterly, 45, pp. 27–57.
- United Nations (1997). Report of the Economic and Social Council for 1997, A/52/3.18 September. Available at: http://www.un.org/documents/ga/docs/52/plenary/a52-3.htm (accessed 11 November 2011).
- United Nations (2011). Men in Families and Family Policy in A Changing World. ST/ESA/322, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Division for Social Policy and Development, New York: United Nations. Available at: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/family/docs/men-in-families.pdf (accessed 5 March 2012).
- Velutti, S. (2008). Promotion of gender equality at the workplace: gender mainstreaming and collective bargaining in Italy. Feminist Legal Studies, 16, pp. 195–214.
10.1007/s10691-008-9088-z Google Scholar
- Verloo, M. (1999). On the conceptual and theoretical roots of gender mainstreaming. ESRC Seminar Series: the Interface between Public Policy and Gender Equality, pp. 1–10, Sheffield Hallam University, 12 March.
- Verloo, M. (2001). Another velvet revolution? Gender mainstreaming and the politics of implementation. IWM Working Paper No. 5/2001, Institute for Human Sciences, Vienna.
- Verloo, M. (2005). Displacement and empowerment: reflections on the concept and practice of the council of Europe approach to gender mainstreaming and gender equity. Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State and Society, 12, pp. 344–365.
- Verloo, M. (2006). Multiple inequalities: intersectionality and the European Union. European Journal of Women's Studies, 13, pp. 211–228.
- Verloo, M. and Benschop, Y. (2002). Shifting responsibilities: the position of equality agencies in gender mainstreaming. Management International Montréal, 7, pp. 93–101.
- Walby, S. (1990). Theorising Patriarchy. Oxford: Blackwell.
- Walby, S. (2005). Introduction: comparative gender mainstreaming in a global era. International Feminist Journal of Politics, 7, pp. 453–471.
10.1080/14616740500284383 Google Scholar
- Walby, S. (2005a). Gender mainstreaming: productive tensions in theory and practice. Social Politics, 12, pp. 321–343.
- Walby, S. (2009). Globalization and Inequalities: Complexity and Contested Modernities. London: Sage.
10.4135/9781446269145 Google Scholar