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Enlargement, Gender and Governance (EGG)

Gender Mainstreaming in East - Central Europe Findings from EGG Sara Clavero Queen’s University Belfast. Enlargement, Gender and Governance (EGG). Funded by European Commission FP5 42 month project (Dec 02 – May 06)

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Enlargement, Gender and Governance (EGG)

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  1. Gender Mainstreaming in East - Central EuropeFindings from EGGSara ClaveroQueen’s University Belfast

  2. Enlargement, Gender and Governance (EGG) • Funded by European Commission FP5 • 42 month project (Dec 02 – May 06) • Multi-disciplinary team of women researchers from 10 CEEC’s: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia • …along with Italy and the UK (co-ordinator)

  3. To offer a systematic analysis of gender, democratisation, and enlargement in 10 Central and Eastern European countries EGG Objective

  4. Components

  5. Methodology

  6. Background Pre-89 • No concept of ‘gender inequality’ • Legislation on equal rights & special protection for women • Absence of specific gender institutions • Female legislative representation ensured by quota system • Women’s councils as official representatives of women’s interests

  7. General findings • Significant degree of variation among countries • Democratisation processes gender differentiated • Reassertion of gender stereotypes keeping women out of politics/public life • Weak civil society • Constraints in developing GM strategies

  8. GM Institutions • Gender dedicated institutions relatively new • Subject to frequent changes over past 5 years • General trend towards diversification • Decentralisation in vertical and horizontal directions • Peripheral location and weak mandates • Inadequate human & financial resources • Move towards generic equality bodies

  9. Gender policies • Strong reluctance to introduce integrated gender equality legislation (ex. EE, LT, SL) • Weak support of positive action strategies • Problems with incorporating GM concept in national contexts • Rhetorical use of GM term – lack of operationalisation • No clear policy objectives, targets & timeframes • No tools for gender analysis: reliance on international agencies • No indicators or other mechanisms for monitoring progress

  10. Civil Society • Women’s NGOs poorly funded - reliance on Western donors • Concentration on service delivery rather than lobbying activities • GM not a priority for majority of women’s organisations in half of countries (ex. BG, SK, EE, PL, SL ) • Participation in policy formulation more formal than substantive • Lack of alliances with women legislators and civil servants

  11. ‘There are no political women NGOs. Most of the existing NGOs are engaged with some quite special fields and topics, especially so-called social ones. Those have actually taken over the functioning of state institutions at offering help to some social groups, and this way it has been possible for the state to abandon, without any bad conscience, some actions which it has a duty to carry out. But politically engaged NGOs with women-connected topics, strengthening their power and influence, or otherwise engaged in gender equality, we don’t have…’(MP, Slovakia)

  12. Conclusions • Role of gender institutions in development & consolidation of GM light • Few implementation strategies • Societal attitudes and gender-role practices obstructing women’s access to decision-making • Relative absence of feminist activism and alliances perpetuates the stereotypes: reinforcing cycle

  13. Enlargement Gender and Governance: The Civic and Political Participation of Women in Central and Eastern Europe (EGG) funded by the EU 5th Framework Programme (HPSE-CT2002-00115)http://www.qub.ac.uk/egg

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