The European Research Council (ERC) funded research project Gender, party politics and democracy in Europe: A study of European Parliaments party groups (EUGenDem) provides a systematic analysis of the gendered policies and practices of European Parliaments (EP) political groups. The research comprises a comparative study of the political groups and generates empirical findings about the significance of gender in the current party political transformations in Europe.
Background
In order to better understand the role of gender in the European Parliament, we analyse public documents, conduct interviews with MEPs, their assistants and EPs personnel and undertake parliamentary ethnography in both public and closed events and meetings.
Goal
Given the importance of European Parliaments party groups to democratic representation in the European Union, it is surprising that there is limited empirical and theoretical understanding that relates to how they conceive of gender, gender hierarchies and gendered relations, or how they seek to address gender inequalities. Nor do we know what the conditions are for increasing a gender equal democracy in the EU in the face of the current political context shaped by political crises. A rigorous gender analysis undertaken in this project reveals the consequences of failing to take gender seriously in the debates about European party politics.
The objectives of the project are as follows:
- Generating empirical knowledge and research about the gendered character of European party politics at the level of the EP and its impact on achieving gender equality and democracy in Europe
- Methodological innovation by linking the study of formal and informal institutions and discourses in party politics to affects and emotions
- Theory building to provide conceptual and analytical tools to understand the interplay between democracy, party politics and gender in the EU turbulent times.
Funding source
EU