European Union Gender Equality Policies: A Contextual Analysis from TheirInception to Today

This article investigates the key stages in the development of European Union (EU) gender equality policies since their inception with the Treaty of Rome in 1957. Given the substantial impact of EU equality policies on the international stage, it is essential to understand how these policies have been formulated within their historical context. Through the analysis of key EU policy documents, this study explores the approaches to equality, the focal areas, and the policy tools adopted within gender equality policies. While the EU, initially established as an economic organization, has expanded its focus to various policy domains over time, it continues to maintain a market-oriented approach to shaping social policies. EU gender equality policies are notably centered on the labor market, reflecting the influence of market priorities on addressing issues of inequality. Gender equality policies tend to include binding measures especially when they directly relate to market concerns. However, in other instances, these policies are either diluted into less stringent regulations or require protracted struggles, both within and outside the EU, to be included on the policy agendaThis article investigates the key stages in the development of European Union (EU) gender equality policies since their inception with the Treaty of Rome in 1957. Given the substantial impact of EU equality policies on the international stage, it is essential to understand how these policies have been formulated within their historical context. Through the analysis of key EU policy documents, this study explores the approaches to equality, the focal areas, and the policy tools adopted within gender equality policies. While the EU, initially established as an economic organization, has expanded its focus to various policy domains over time, it continues to maintain a market-oriented approach to shaping social policies. EU gender equality policies are notably centered on the labor market, reflecting the influence of market priorities on addressing issues of inequality. Gender equality policies tend to include binding measures especially when they directly relate to market concerns. However, in other instances, these policies are either diluted into less stringent regulations or require protracted struggles, both within and outside the EU, to be included on the policy agenda.