The European Union, Gender Equality, and Feminist Mobilization in Ireland

The European Union (EU) has been characterised as an important factor in the development of gender equality in the Irish context.  EEC accession in 1973 was seen for many as a ‘modernising influence’ that alongside changes in Irish women’s education and labour force participation catalysed feminist mobilization and marked an important shift in the Irish gender regime.  In the 1980’s and 1990’s resistance to the EC’s ‘ modernising influence’ on the issue of divorce and abortion continued to shape feminist  mobilization and policies on gender equality.  EU gender mainstreaming and the influence of the ECHR have  more recently and in different ways shaped opportunities for feminist advocacy and the gender equality paradigm in Ireland.  Working from assessments of the past and current influence of EU membership for gender equality in Ireland, this paper explores the current relevance of EU strategies for Irish feminist mobilization. Interview data and document analysis is employed to assess the importance of the EU for gender equality advocates particularly in the light of a shift to soft law at EU level and the consequences of austerity for gender equality and feminist mobilization in Irish society. This analysis contributes to work on the Europeanization of national social movements and feminist analysis of the implications of the EU for gender equality across European societies.