Gender Invisibility in the “Post-Crisis” Regime: Assessing the Impact of the Crisis on the European Gender Regime

The European Union’s commitment to equality between men and women has been one of the most important foundational narratives of this organisation (MacRae, 2010). European institutions’ contribution to the development of a comprehensive framework for equality in the area of employment led Walby (2004) to conclude that it is a gender regime in its own right. The onset of the crisis, however, has significant implications for social inclusion and gender equality in Europe.  Despite the emergence of counter narratives that point to the unintended consequences of austerity, political commentators have largely ignored the gender question in their analysis of the Eurocrisis (Annesley and Himmelweit 2010, European Women’s Lobby, 2012, Women's Budget Group 2011). This paper looks at the impact of the crisis on initiatives aimed at supporting gender mainstreaming and at the heart of the European gender regime. It therefore seeks to assess the extent to which the narrative of crisis has undermined Europe’s commitment to its core values. In so doing it seeks to answer two related questions:  Has the economic crisis had an impact on the normative foundations of the EU? Specifically, what impact has it had on foundational narratives, e.g. equality between men and women? The paper will look at changing narratives and the frequency with which equality and gender mainstreaming appear in the narrative of European institutions and the identity of the EU as a whole.